Way to the Top
by strikerstories
Summary: Charlotte Watsford lost her mermaid tail and now she's on a new adventure. Prior to this new chapter in her life, she met Agent Elizabeth Striker, who sees something special in her, despite Charlottes' recent loss. But while Charlotte doesn't see herself as special anymore, she is determined to make the most out of her situation, even if it means helping to find missing mermaids.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I am back with the sequel. I hope you enjoy it and if you do, make sure to let me know about it in the review box!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any H2O: Just Add Water characters that are mentioned.**

* * *

Charlotte stepped off of the escalator and walked through the big double doors that were opened, leading out to the lobby of the airport. She looked around, searching for the person who was picking her up. As she looked around, unsurity crept in to her heart. Charlotte had never been so far away from home before or the ocean for that matter. She had no idea what to expect in Canada, or in the place where her acquaintance worked.

"Charlotte!" A voice called out.

Eyes gazing towards the sound of her name being called out, Charlotte took a deep breath and gave a small wave and smile as she headed over. She approached a small woman, the same size as Rikki Chadwick. Her hair was blacker then the darkest part of the ocean and it had been lopped off since she saw her last. It rested below her ears and sat on the nap of her neck. It was in a curly wavy state.

Charlotte felt a pit in her stomach and her mind was quick to compare her own looks to the beautiful woman standing in front of her. Ever since what happened between Lewis and the three mermaids, Charlottes' self-esteem and confidence had been shot. She wasn't the same ever since the incident. Nevertheless, she forced that smile and welcomed the embrace of the woman in front of her.

"It's good to see you again," The woman expressed.

"It's nice to see you too, Elizabeth. Um...my luggage is over here," Charlotte pointed towards the baggage claim.

Elizabeth offered to take Charlottes carry-on, which Charlotte gratefully handed over to rub her sore shoulders and the two went to grab her two suitcases.

"Wow, did you pack up your entire wardrobe?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. Um, my mom said to take it all since she doesn't know how long I'll be gone for," Charlotte explained.

"Was...was she okay with it? I know we talked about it over the phone..." Elizabeth asked, reluctantly.

Charlotte lowered her head. Remembering the conversation that she had with her mother hurt her inside. She had never had such a big fight with her mom before. It caused Charlotte to leave on bad terms with her.

"Oh...I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized, sensing Charlotte's emotions.

Charlotte shook her head as she pulled off her suitcases from the carousel. Pulling up the handles, she wheeled her suitcases behind her as she followed Elizabeth outside to the parking lot. They reached the area where Elizabeths car was parked and Charlottes eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

"You drive that?!" Charlotte asked, surprised by the vehicle.

Elizabeth let out a big smile as the two approached it. Elizabeths' vehicle was a black Chevrolet Malibu. She popped open the trunk and placed Charlottes suitcases inside. Closing it, the two got in to the car and Charlotte took in the interior. It was sleek in gray leather and the dashboards technology seemed far too advanced for the year 2008. One button on the dashboard caught her attention. It was rectangular and silver.

"What does this do?" She asked, about to press it.

"Don't touch that!" Elizabeth warned, her voice a bit stern.

Charlotte retracted her hand and set it in her lap.

"Sorry," She apologized.

"It shoots out a missile. That's only to be used on heavy duty vehicles that we chase down," Elizabeth explained.

Nodding, Charlotte left it be and kept silent for most of the drive. She wondered what the building looked like and what everyone would think of her. Would it be weird having a normal person like her inside? She wasn't a mermaid anymore. So what made her so special to Elizabeth? Elizabeth told Charlotte that she saw much potential in her, but Charlotte was clueless as to what it could be. Without her mermaid powers, she didn't think she was important anymore.

After driving for about an hour and a half, Charlotte looked out the window. Coming in to view was a big red brick building. It looked like it was an old school that you saw in the movies. Elizabeth drove underground to parking and the two unloaded everything.

"Okay, there is something that I need to warn you about. As soon as we step inside, there will be security robots. They're just going to do a quick search on your body to make sure that you don't have a weapon on you. If you freak out, they will sense it and assume that you are guilty of hiding something and throw you down in to a jail cell," Elizabeth explained.

"Um, yeah, sure, no problem. I can manage that," Charlotte replied, putting on a smile again.

The two walked away from Elizabeths' car and approached a single door. Opening it and walking through, Charlotte continued to follow Elizabeth as they turned a corner and came in to a big open area. The walls were a gray color with a red wine color trimming. Looking up, she could see the second floor very clearly and everywhere her eyes went, there were people bustling about. Most of them, she noticed, were all men.

Suddenly, a big silver robot approached her and Charlotte felt cold metal grip her shoulders. She almost freaked out, but composed herself as a light scanned her body before she was released.

"You are clear to enter," It said.

Looking over at Elizabeth, Charlotte saw a similar looking robot do the same thing before it said something different.

"Agent Elizabeth Jane Striker, you do not have a weapon on you. Please take this as a replacement for now."

It's body opened and a gun was extracted. Elizabeth took the weapon and tucked it in to back band in the back of her jeans. Charlotte looked over at Elizabeths' gesture.

"Doesn't that feel uncomfortable?" Charlotte asked.

"No. There's a hidden holster inside," Elizabeth replied, and allowed Charlotte to take a small look.

Blushing a red brighter than her hair, Charlotte looked away after seeing the holster. That was kind of embarrassing.

"Alright, come on. Let's get you to your room so that you can settle in," Elizabeth spoke up, a chuckle in her voice.

Gripping the handles on her suitcase, Charlotte continued to follow Elizabeth. They took an elevator up to the second floor and went down a single hallway that was isolated from the other side of the upper floor. It led down to another single hallway, that had three doors. Two were opposite while another was right at the very end.

"I'm in this room over here. You will be here," Elizabeth said and opened up the door on the left side.

Walking first, Charlotte took it all in. The room was similar to an apartment. There was the living room, the kitchen off to the side, and the bedroom at the end of the living room. Charlotte headed straight for the bedroom. There was a Queen sized bed with sheets already on it. The floors were hardwood, but there was an off-white area rug at the side of the bed. The walls were gray, just like outside in the big area. The furniture all matched the palette and Charlottes inner artist geek started coming out.

"Oh my god, these colors are beautiful! I love how everything matches so perfectly! It feels so...futuristic! Who designed this place?" Charlotte asked, looking back at Elizabeth with a real genuine smile on her face.

Elizabeth smiled back.

"The President of IDA and a few of our Generals came up with the design," She replied.

"Well, its simply beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. Well, I'm going to let you rest for half an hour. I've got some paperwork to do, but I will be back in time to show you the rest of the place, and then to meet some of the agents that you will be with," Elizabeth announced.

Nodding, Charlotte watched as Elizabeth left and then plopped herself on to her bed. The mattress sunk around her and she bathed in the comfort for a moment. Hmm...bathing sounded nice right about now. Getting up, she headed for the bathroom which was adjoined to her bedroom. Walking in, its colors were similar as well. There was a stand up shower stall and a separate bath. Ever since she lost her tail, Charlotte was able to stand on her own two legs to shower, but she hadn't allowed herself yet. She filled up the tub and found some bath products under the sink. She waited until bubbles formed and frothed before stripping.

Stepping in to the tub, Charlotte laid back and allowed herself to relax as she sat in the water. But on instinct, she looked down and hoped to see her golden tail.

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 **Hoped y'all liked the first chapter! More to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I should mention that this is an AU fanfiction.  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of H2O: Just Add Water. I own my own characters.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Make sure to let me know what you think about the story in the review box!**

* * *

Once done her bath, Charlotte had dried off and dressed in fresh clothes. She chose a deep purple blouse and a white skirt, with white flats to match. She stood outside her apartment room, waiting for Elizabeth when she saw a tall man walking down the hall. She looked down at her feet, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.

"Charlotte? Charlotte Watsford?" The man asked.

Looking up, Charlotte felt flustered by his appearance. He was really handsome. Dark hair, steel blue eyes and a fair complexion which was shadowed by his scruff. His body was muscular, yet lean.

"Uh...yes, that's me," She finally managed to reply.

"I'm Agent Reynolds. Elizabeth sent me to come and get you," He introduced, sticking out his hand.

She accepted his handshake and followed after his gesture to walk with him.

"Why couldn't she get me herself?" Charlotte asked.

"Business to take care of. She asked if I could show you the rest of the building. She's already told me why you're here," He explained.

"Oh, I see. Do...do all the other agents know why I'm here?" Charlotte asked.

Agent Reynolds simply nodded. As they walked, Charlotte looked up at him slightly, as he was only a quarter taller than her. She felt a hot flush in her face when she saw how perfectly the light came across his face. She wanted to paint it, put it on a canvas just so that she could stare at it all day long. She followed him as he took a left and the two came in to what appeared to be the cafeteria. There was a line-up of agents with food trays as they took what satisfied their needs. There was a plethora of chairs and tables, and vending machines with various products in them.

"Are you hungry? I know I am. You must have had a long trip and Agent Striker forgot to bring you here," Agent Reynolds offered.

Charlotte nodded and grimaced as she clenched her growling stomach. She did recall that Elizabeth hadn't offered to get her any food to eat.

"It's okay, she forgets to eat sometimes. Come on, we'll get a plate filled up for you," Joshua put a hand behind her back and guided her through the tall men.

She felt so small in comparison to all of these men, who were agents in the organization. Looking around, Charlotte realized that besides Elizabeth and herself, there weren't any other female agents anywhere! Coming up to the food line, Charlotte grabbed a plate and went down the line to see what was available. There were sandwiches, soups, chilis, a hamburger buffet, salads and a vegan section. Seriously? Who became vegan?

Putting together a hamburger and grabbing a water, Charlotte went to find a table while Agent Reynolds finished dishing up. She wasn't able to find an empty table, but she saw two available spots where there were some men sitting. They were laughing and seemed deep in conversation. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Charlotte strutted over to join them.

"Hello, do you mind if Agent Reynolds and I join you?" She asked, as he came up behind her.

"Oh yeah, come on in. We don't bite...well, this one might, but we won't," The one man, an African American replied, while pointing at the other man, who was white with blonde hair.

"Hey..." The blonde man let out an insulted whine.

"Geez, Mikus, lighten up. I was just kidding," The man said as Charlotte and Joshua took their seats.

Mikus looked at Charlotte.

"I'm Agent Andrew Mikus. This bonehead right here is Agent Jabari Danjuma," He introduced the two of them.

Charlotte gave a pleasant smile and shook their hands.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte Watsford," She replied back.

"That's a pretty name," Andrew complimented.

"Dude...you're gay," Jabari jabbed.

"Doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a female name or her obvious good looks," Andrew retaliated, gesturing to Charlotte.

Her face went bright red and she lowered her head as she looked down at her plate. Wow...she never heard had someone compliment on her looks before.

"Careful," Agent Reynolds warned.

"Agent Reynolds, chill. I'm as gay as a daisy in May," Mikus talked back.

Charlotte let out a genuinely loud laugh at his comment and almost couldn't control it. This guy...he was too funny. She almost felt embarrassed for how loud her laughter was, but she finally managed to calm down and took a few deep breaths.

"I'm sorry, that was too funny. I like you, Andrew Mikus," Charlotte voiced.

"Oh...thanks," Mikus replied, giving his right hand a quick little flip.

Finishing up her burger, Charlotte felt completely satisfied and was ready to see the rest of the agency. Disposing of her garbage, she regrouped with Agent Reynolds and continued on the tour. He showed her the gun range, the training room, the home theatre room, fitness center, Dojo, inventers room, and finally, the offices. They came walking up to a door marked **Head Agent Elizabeth J. Striker**

"Let's see if she's in."

Agent Reynolds knocked on the door and a reply came. Opening it, the two walked in and Charlotte was a little stunned by the color of the room. The walls were chartreuse green and had black trimming, with a maple hardwood floor. She died a little inside.

"Hey Charlotte, sorry I couldn't take you on the rest of the tour. I had paperwork to do. Did you enjoy seeing everything?" Elizabeth asked.

Charlotte nodded.

"Oh yes, everything is amazing. I can't believe you have all of this stuff."

"That and much more. You haven't even seen the jail cells," Elizabeth commented.

"Uhm, no thanks. I don't think I want to go down there," Charlotte responded.

Agent Reynolds and Elizabeth chuckled at her remark. Elizabeth got up from behind her desk and gave Joshua a quick but affectionate hug. Charlotte suddenly felt a bit silly, developing a small crush on the male agent so quickly without checking on a relationship status. It was obvious by the way the two looked at each other that they were very much in love. It reminded her of Lewis and Cleo...

"Oh, Joshua, the CIA wants you to track down one of their sources for some information. I wrote the details down on this. I'll take over. Charlotte, I've got to take you to the office two doors down. I need you to meet with our Superior, General Leblanc. After that, you're free to go off to bed," Elizabeth announced, pulling out her phone to look at the time.

Nodding, the three left Elizabeths' office and Joshua went on his way. Charlotte and Elizabeth walked two doors to the left. Elizabeth knocked but there was no answer. She tried again before going in to a trance like state to use her hearing abilities.

"Hmm, sounds like he's not in at the moment. I guess we can walk back to the apartments now."

So they walked and on the way, Charlotte opened up a can of questions.

"How come we're the only two females in the agency?"

"Well, we've never been able to find any other females with abilities. It's like they don't exist. Sometimes it's a bit annoying, but I've learned to deal with it," Elizabeth replied.

"Does Joshua have abilities?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"He's the only one besides you that doesn't. But, he's completely fine with it."

"Well...why did the CIA want his help?" Charlotte continued.

"We join forces with the CIA, NSA and FBI. If they can't solve a case, they hand it over to us, or we team up. Joshua used to work for the CIA before he decided to join us."

"How come?"

Elizabeth didn't answer. She kept silent and for a moment, Charlotte saw the female agents chocolate brown eyes grow darker, as if reflecting on a bad memory.

"So...do you like it here so far?" Elizabeth asked.

Wow...she dodged that bullet.

Charlotte nodded.

"Oh yes, it's quite nice. When do I get started on training?" She asked.

"Tomorrow morning."

They came up to Charlottes' door and she was about to open it when she stopped. She turned back around to face Elizabeth.

"Do you have a swimming pool?"

She hadn't gone for a swim since she lost her tail.

"Uh...yeah. Miss the water, huh?"

Charlotte nodded.

"Do you?" She asked, remembering that Elizabeth once had a green tail.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Hell no. I do not miss being a fish, especially since it almost killed me."

Understanding, Charlotte unlocked the door and stepped inside. Before closing it, she looked at the short brunette again.

"How do you get over something like that?" Charlotte asked.

Elizabeth didn't know what to say. She only experienced it for about a few months.

"Time, I guess. Time heals all wounds. Just be patient with yourself. Good-night, Charlotte."

"Good-night, Elizabeth."

Charlotte closed the door behind her. Giving a small grin, she bounded in to her room and opened up her dresser drawer to pull out her red one piece swimsuit. Slipping on her flip-flops, she then grabbed a towel and then left her room again. Taking the elevator down, she came to the main area and saw that the sun had already begun to set. The moon was up and it shimmered through the sun roof. She looked up to appreciate its' beauty.

"Looking for the swimming pool?" A male voice spoke up.

Charlotte jumped at the unexpectedness and turned around. It was Agent Reynolds, also garbed in swim attire. She simply nodded and he let out a friendly smile.

"Come on, it's this way."

She followed him to the end of the main area on the left and they went down a low slope that led them to the pool. It was about the same size as any swimming pool that she'd been to on the Gold Coast. Setting her towel and flip flops on a nearby chair, Charlotte lowered herself in to the water and felt relaxed as she let it embrace her body. She looked down; still expecting her golden tail to appear.

"What's wrong?" Joshua asked, noticing that she looked kind of glum.

"Oh...it's nothing," She replied.

He didn't know that she had been a mermaid like Elizabeth. It was probably best that he didn't know anyways.

Joshua swam back to the ladder and hopped out. He started walking away and Charlotte called out to him.

"Where are you going?!"

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving. I'll be right back," He promised.

He disappeared behind a wall and after a few minutes, the water in the pool began to stir. Waves were created and Charlotte looked surprised when Joshua returned.

"I thought that since you must have gone to the beach all of the time, that you must have missed it. So I thought that maybe we could try and make it more comforting for you," He explained, coming back in to the water.

"Thank-you."

He smiled and Charlotte felt her heart leap in to her throat. _No! Don't do this to yourself. He's got a girlfriend and he's not going to break up with her!_ But he was being so nice to her! Charlotte felt a conflict inside herself. She wanted to go for it and revert back to who she was before coming to Canada, but at the same time, she would probably die at Elizabeths' hand if she found out that Charlotte had feelings for her boyfriend.

Pushing it all aside, Charlotte dove under the waves of the water and lost herself as she reminisced about being a mermaid. It melted away her stressful thoughts for the time being.

* * *

Morning rolled around and Charlotte let out a satisfying yawn as she sat up in bed and stretched. Getting out of bed, she dressed in a purple and gray sports bra and shorts to match. Socks and runners on her feet, she pulled her hair in to a ponytail and grabbed her water bottle that was sitting on her kitchen counter. It was already filled with a lemon inside.

The knock on her door came and she opened it and bounded out. Elizabeth was standing there, wearing a black sports bra and black leggings. She was barefoot.

"Ready to start your day?" Elizabeth asked, a gleeful look in her chocolate brown eyes.

Nodding, Charlotte followed her to the training room. Elizabeth got her right in to working out; to get her body ready for what would be coming. Charlotte was already a fit girl, mostly because of all the swimming that she did as a mermaid. Her muscles took everything easily and she only grew sore and tired by the time that training came to an end, an hour and a half later.

Sweat glistened off her forehead and she used the back of her hand to wipe it off. She took a big swig of her lemon water.

"Wow...I never thought that it would be this intense!" Charlotte voiced, breathing heavily.

"Oh trust me, it's just going to get even more so later on," Elizabeth responded, breathing heavily herself from the work-out.

The two hit the showers and headed up to Elizabeths' office. As they walked up the hallway, Elizabeth stopped in her tracks, then walked back two doors. She knocked.

"Come in!" Charlotte heard a voice on the other side yell.

Elizabeth gestured to Charlotte and she came on over. With the door opened, the young girl saw a man sitting behind a desk. His hair was gray and his eyes were blue. He had a strong jaw and sharp features.

"General Leblanc, this is Charlotte Watsford, the girl I told you would be joining our organization," Elizabeth introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you, General," Charlotte waved.

The man looked her up and down; a questioning look on his face. His eyebrows furrowed and Charlotte instantly felt as if he didn't like her very much.

"Watsford huh? You wouldn't happen to be related to a Gregory Watsford, would you?" He asked.

The name didn't sound familiar to Charlotte. She shook her head.

"Funny, you have his looks. How old are you, Charlotte?" He asked.

"I'm seventeen," Came the reply.

He looked at her again and Charlotte couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Elizabeth noticed and spoke up.

"General Leblanc, with all due respect, please stop looking at Charlotte like she was a lab rat."

"Sorry, but I swear that you look him. Here, does he look familiar?" He asked, pulling out a file and sliding it over to the two.

Elizabeth opened it up and saw that there was a picture of a man. He had dark hair, a pasty complexion and brown eyes. They almost looked a bit mischievous, with a hint of sadness to them. His profile was behind his photo.

"I've never seen this man before in my life," Charlotte said.

"General Leblanc, why did you bring this up?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, this man is in charge of a case that he needs our help with and was hoping that you would assist in it," General Leblanc explained, and set the case file on the desk.

Elizabeth picked it up and opened it to read.

"It says here that the CIA has been investigating the disappearances of several women, all of whom are virtually unrelated in anyway. They don't know why they've disappeared or who is behind it," Elizabeth read.

She saw a list of names and began reading them off.

Evie McLaren  
Rita Santos  
Mimmi Blakely  
Isabella Hartley

She stopped reading when she recognized three names. Elizabeth looked at Charlotte; a look of disbelief on her face.

"What is it?" Charlotte asked.

Elizabeth didn't say anything, but read the last three names instead.

 **Rikki Chadwick  
Emma Gilbert  
Cleo Sertori**

Charlotte felt a wave of shock crash through her. The girls were missing? When did this happen? How long ago had they been missing for? Oh no... Charlotte looked at Elizabeth, who had the same grave look on her face. They both knew what was so grave about this situation, but Elizabeth dare not tell General Leblanc what it was.

"Agent Striker?" General Leblanc called out.

"Yes sir, I will definitely help out with this case. May I request one thing though?" Elizabeth asked.

"Anything."

"I want Charlotte to assist me on this."

He laughed.

"She hasn't even been trained properly yet!"

"I know that sir, and maybe this will be the best way to train her. Some people learn best while on the job. I'll get her trained on using a firearm, and then we will get right on the case," Elizabeth explained.

"Very well. I will prepare your flight plans. Oh, and I want Agent Reynolds to accompany the two of you. Agent Watsford will be waiting for you three in Queensland," General Leblanc replied.

Nodding, Elizabeth took the case file and the two left his office. Once they were out of earshot, Charlotte freaked out.

"Why would they go missing? Rikki, Cleo and Emma would never just leave, especially with all that they have going for them!"

"I know. It's a bit troubling. Did someone besides you and the boys know about their secret? Is there anyone that you can think of who would want to capture the girls?" Elizabeth asked.

Charlottes' mind went blank.

"No. But maybe Lewis can help us. We can meet him once we get there," Charlotte suggested.

"Whoa there, I can't do that. This Agent Watsford doesn't know about mermaids like I do. We're going to have to be smart about this. I'll figure it out. In the meantime, it looks like we're going back to the Gold Coast. Are you ready for that?" Elizabeth asked.

She had only been in Canada for about two days, but Charlotte wanted nothing more than to go back one more time. Maybe by helping Elizabeth on this case, she could redeem herself to Lewis and the girls by saving them.

"I'm more than ready for this. Let's get going."

* * *

 **Whoop whoop!  
Sounds like a cross-over in the works, folks!  
Let me know what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from either H2O: Just Add Water or Mako Mermaids.**

Review when you're done reading to let me know what you think!

* * *

Charlotte thought that she had gone crazy...mad even. There she was, standing with ear and eye protection on while holding a gun...a gun! A weapon that had power to literally kill someone. She was tense as she held it out towards her intended target; unsure if she wanted to pull the trigger.

"You need to relax," Joshua spoke up.

Oh yeah...it didn't help that he was training her. Joshua was forbidden and Charlotte knew it, despite her crush on him. Elizabeth was tasked with organizing their flight to Queensland.

"I am relaxed!" Charlotte sharply spoke.

Joshua sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You need to relax your body and keep your feet apart," He explained and with his foot, guided her feet in to their proper stance.

Charlotte felt the heat rise up her skin at his touch. She tried to not think about it and stared at the bulls eye.

"Alright, now take off the safety," He guided.

She unclipped the safety just as he taught her the first time. Then the order came and Charlotte pulled the trigger. The sound was muffled by her ear protection, but she felt the gun shudder in her dainty hands and she almost let it fly out of her grip. She pulled the trigger a few more times before Joshua gave the order to stop. Putting the safety back on and taking out the magazine, Charlotte took off her ear protection.

"How did I do?" She asked.

"Well, let's see."

The bulls eye was wheeled towards them and Joshua gave a low whistle.

"Wow...you've got quite the eye. You're almost better than me, and that's saying something."

"Beginners luck," Charlotte tried to reason.

"Maybe, but you've still got quite the eye. Here, you can journal this," Joshua said, taking the paper off of the board and handing it to Charlotte.

Taking her proof of marksmanship, Charlotte folded it and set it in her jeans pocket. The two left the gun range and headed upstairs, to where Elizabeth was waiting. She was at the front entrance with three different suitcases. Charlotte recognized one of them to be hers.

"Are you guys ready?" Elizabeth asked.

Charlotte nodded. She was ready to go back home and to help find out what happened to the three mermaids, despite how she acted towards them in the first place. But that wasn't what worried her. What worried her how Lewis was going to react when he saw her again. Taking a deep breath, Charlotte wheeled her suitcase out the door and followed the two older agents.

* * *

Once having arrived, it was night time and the moon was up. It was about a month away until the next full moon. For some odd reason, this satisfied Charlotte. She wondered...maybe if she went back to the Moon Pool, she could get her powers back. Max had said that the full moon of fifty years would take away her powers forever. But nothing lasts forever...right? It wouldn't hurt to find out.

"Beautiful night," Joshua commented.

"Yeah, it is," Elizabeth replied, looking up at the full moon.

She looked over at Charlotte, as if with wishing eyes. Hmm...there was probably still that little bit of wonder in them from when she had her mermaid green tail. In Elizabeths' mind, she was thinking about something else. She wondered if the disappearance of Cleo, Rikki and Emma were somehow connected to Mako Island. She had no idea how the other four women were connected, but she was sure that they would find one.

By shuttle, the three were taken to their hotel in the city. Elizabeth and Charlotte shared a room while Joshua had his own that was adjoined to theirs. Setting down her suitcase, Charlotte opened it up and began to unpack.

"That's going to have to wait. We have to go meet Agent Watsford," Elizabeth interrupted.

"But...it's past eleven at night," Charlotte protested.

"I know, but meeting him is top priority. If I were you, I wouldn't even bother unpacking. We won't be in the hotel that much."

Nodding, Charlotte didn't argue or complain. Instead, she followed Elizabeth back out the door where Joshua was already waiting. They left the hotel and got in to the rental car that waited for them outside. Joshua took the wheel and drove them to police station close by.

Once they arrived and went in, Joshua led them to a detectives office and he knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A mans' voice called.

Opening the door, the three were greeted by Agent Watsford. Charlotte looked at him with curiosity. She didn't see a resemblance in him. General Leblanc was off his rocker.

"Agent Striker, Agent Joshua, thank-you for meeting me. Who is this?" He asked, gesturing to Charlotte.

"This is Charlotte Watsford; our new recruit," Elizabeth introduced.

The man looked at her, not sure if he had heard her name properly.

"Watsford?"

Charlotte just nodded curtly, but the older gentleman didn't say anything. He just looked at her; as if she was a puppy abandoned in a ditch and covered in mud. That moment was over and he put his attention back to Agents Striker and Reynolds.

"Anyways, since I don't have much information about any of the missing women, I though that we could split up the list and go question the family members. I don't have any of the addresses for the last three girls..."

"Oh that's okay, I know them," Charlotte spoke up.

"Charlotte..." Elizabeth interrupted, a tone of warning in her voice.

"What?" You know the three of the victims?" Agent Watsford asked.

Charlotte lowered her head; ashamed of herself for the guilt that sat in her heart.

"Yes. We were friends before I joined the agency."

"Did either of you know this?" Agent Watsford asked, looking at the older agents.

Joshua shook his head. Elizabeth tried not to show any recognition in knowing Rikki, Cleo and Emma, even though she did. She too shook her head, but very slowly so Charlotte wouldn't take notice. Agent Watsford looked at Charlotte, harshly.

"Does your mother know that you're involved in this?" Agent Watsford asked.

"My mother...?"

"Annette. Yes Charlotte, I know your mother," Agent Watsford said.

"Are you her brother?" Charlotte asked.

"No. I'm her husband...your father."

Charlotte stood there in shock. This man was who...her father? But...her mother told Charlotte that her father died before she was born. Charlotte thought that this man was an uncle or something, but she was wrong. He was...her father? She was at a loss of words.

"Alright, we will take the McLaren girl, Rita Santos, Isabella Hartley, and Mimmi Blakely," Elizabeth spoke up.

What? They weren't going to find out about Cleo and the others? Why? Charlotte was suddenly annoyed that Elizabeth had made that decision. Rikki, Cleo and Emma were who they knew! Wouldn't it make more sense to go get information from their families and Lewis?

"Alright. Charlotte, can I have your friends addresses?" Agent Watsford asked.

"I want to go with you!" Charlotte blurted.

He was not even bothered by her outburst. He just gave her that same look.

"Charlotte, let him do his job," Elizabeth spoke gently, placing a hand on Charlottes shoulder.

Charlotte shrugged it off.

"No! I want to go with you! I'm being trained as an agent, so why can't my father help me?"

"Because you are under my supervision. He doesn't get held responsible if anything happens to you, I do! Joshua will go with him. You and I will check the others," Elizabeth explained.

Charlotte tried to fuel her anger, but it only festered. She pushed it aside, took out her phone, and gave her dad the addresses to the homes of Cleo and Emma. She didn't know where Rikki lived, so she mentioned it to the others. Nodding, the four left the station and Agent Watsford told Joshua that he would pick him up in the morning. Getting in to their rental car, Charlotte got in to the back seat and buckled up. She fumed.

"Stop it. Charlotte, don't let it get to you," Elizabeth advised.

"How can I not? That man is my father! My mother told me that he died before I was born! She lied to me! He never even reached out to me! Did he even know that he had a daughter? Why would he leave my mom? I have questions that need to be answered and I will get them," Charlotte promised.

Elizabeth and Joshua didn't say anything. They just let her rant as they drove back to the hotel to get some sleep. They had had a long flight and it was obvious that Charlotte needed the sleep. She wasn't built like the two of them. She was thinking irrationally and needed a clear head for tomorrow. Joshua finally spoke up.

"Look, Charlotte, I used to work in the CIA before I joined IDA to work with Elizabeth. You hold a lot of secrets when you work there and most of the time if you have family, they're one of those secrets so that no one finds out about them. The reason that he's stayed away from your mom and you, was to protect you both. You can't blame him for that. Plus, letting your emotions control you during a case can be very dangerous. It's a liability. You have to remember that as an agent, you can't wear your heart on your sleeve or else you become vulnerable to the enemy."

Charlotte didn't respond. She just listened to what Joshua had to say and although she wanted to continue throwing a fit about just discovering that her dad was alive, she held it in. She pushed her anger deep down and a few tears were shed.

"Right. Of course. I mean, I lived without him most of my life. Surely, I can handle it a bit longer."

Elizabeth and Joshua shared a subtle glance and Elizabeth bit her lip slightly, her brows furrowed. Her abilities could sense that anger in Charlotte and it left a sinister feeling inside. Elizabeth wanted to know what was deeply troubling her, but she let it be. Charlotte had gone through enough tonight as it was. Arriving at the hotel, Joshua parked and the three headed inside. Coming to their respective rooms, Elizabeth took a quick shower while Charlotte got ready for bed. As she buttoned up her pajama top, Charlotte looked out the window and stared at the moon.

The full moon would be next month and the case would take a while to deal with, meaning that Charlotte would be around when the magic would happen. She planned on going to Mako the night of the full moon to get her mermaid powers back. She missed it so much. She wanted it more than anything; besides getting to know her recently discovered father.

Closing the curtains, Charlotte crawled in to her bed and heard the shower continue to run in the bathroom.

In the shower, Elizabeth, having finished washing up, just stood there as she contemplated the case in her mind. Something seemed odd about the entire thing. Rikki, Emma and Cleo were missing and the only reason that she could come up with was that they were mermaids. Were the other missing women mermaids too? Did that necessarily mean anything? Cleo, Rikki and Emma had a secret that could be very beneficial to any criminal if they found out about the girls. Perhaps an accidental transformation happened? Perhaps someone saw it.

One thing was certain though. If the reason that these women were missing because they were mermaids, then Elizabeth had to keep a very careful eye on Charlotte. If for some reason she could get her mermaid powers back on Mako Island, she could very well be the next missing merperson. And Elizabeth couldn't have that hanging on her. Charlotte would not be able to go back to Mako Island.

* * *

 **What did you think?  
**

 **Do you think that Charlotte and her father will be able to have a relationship, or no? Do you think it would help Charlotte become a better person, or make things worse?**

 **ALSO! If you're already thinking that Doctor Denman could be behind this, it's not. That would have been way too predictable.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the characters of H2O: Just Add Water or Mako Mermaids.**

* * *

The following morning after breakfast, Charlotte slipped on a denim skirt and pink button down blouse. Slipping on her shoes, she headed down for the lobby to wait for Elizabeth and Joshua as they were still getting ready. When she was getting dressed just minutes before, Charlotte saw the two of them together in Joshuas' room, prepping their guns and lacing up combat boots.

She looked down at her feet, realizing how inappropriate her attire was. Flats donned her large feet and it was obvious that they were not meant for running in. But she had no choice, since she hadn't gone shopping for the right clothes yet. Her train of thought came to an end when she saw her dad walk through the doors as he came in to the hotel. She stood awkwardly, not sure if she was supposed to greet him formerly or casually.

"Good morning," Agent Watsford spoke up.

"Morning," She muttered.

"Where are the agents?"

"Just finishing getting ready."

"Okay."

An awkward silence followed. Agent Gregory Watsford pulled out a little black book and skimmed through the pages, keeping busy while he waited for the older agents. He didn't have anything to say to Charlotte, while Charlottes mind raced with things that she could ask him.

"So...have you talked to mom lately?" Charlotte finally spoke up.

Gregory flinched a little. Well...she poked at the right spot.

"Uh...no...no I haven't. I haven't talked to her in a few years actually," Gregory answered.

"Oh...okay."

She tried to think of something else to ask, but was saved from the awkwardness when Elizabeth and Joshua finally showed up. Elizabeth slipped her phone in to the back pocket of her shorts and re-adjusted her gray crop top.

"Sorry we're a little late. We had to check in with General Leblanc," Joshua apologized.

Gregory just looked at the two, as if making an observation before he gave a little 'hmm' sound. He didn't sound very convinced, but he left it alone. He gave the two a look that seemed to say 'I know what you two were really up to', and it flew over Charlottes head.

"Right, well then, let's get going. We'll regroup at fourteen hundred hours," Gregory said.

Nodding, they left the hotel and got in their separate cars. Getting in to the passenger seat, Charlotte was handed a little black book that Elizabeth had on her person.

"Can you look up the address to Isabella Hartleys' home?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah."

Charlotte skimmed through the book until she found it, then plugged it in to the rental GPS. Huh, that was funny, it was right near a bank of water. Elizabeth began driving to the location.

"Charlotte, I had a theory last night while I was in the bathroom," Elizabeth spoke up.

"Is that where you get most of your theories?" Charlotte cracked a joke.

Elizabeth gave a grin.

"Sometimes, actually. Anyways, we both know that Rikki, Emma and Cleo are mermaids, but Joshua doesn't and your father especially doesn't know. What if the reason all of them are missing is because of that? What if they're missing because of who they secretly are?"

"Well...that would make some sense to me. Lewis told me about this woman from about a year ago who found out the girls secrets," Charlotte spoke up.

"What's her name?"

"Denman. Linda Denman."

"I've heard of her! She's a Marine Biologist. That would make sense. Tell me the rest of her story with the girls," Elizabeth urged.

So Charlotte did and recalled all that Lewis had told her about what happened, even about the lunar eclipse that the girls chose to be part of. Elizabeth then shook her head.

"Okay. Now it's making less sense. If she was convinced that they lost their powers forever, then she would have no reason to think that mermaids still existed. She's a scientist, but I'm sure that even she knows that the Moon Pool can't be explained. It's not her. There's got to be someone else at work here, someone like Doctor Denman," Elizabeth explained.

"We really should have been the ones to take the girls homes," Charlotte voiced.

"I agree, but you didn't keep your mouth shut and now we have to uncover secrets about these other women. Don't worry, we'll find out who's behind this and save your friends," Elizabeth replied.

The GPS alerted them that they had arrived at their destination. Parking the car and getting out, Charlotte looked around to make an observation. This didn't seem right. They were at Lewis's home.

"What are we doing here?" Charlotte asked.

"Isabella Hartley doesn't live in Queensland. She lives in Ireland. I just didn't pencil that in to my book. I needed to keep you distracted," Elizabeth admitted.

"So then...why are we at Lewis's?" Charlotte asked, her anxiety rising up.

"He'll be able to give me the answers that I want: the right answers. At least I hope so," Elizabeth explained.

They walked up to the front door and Elizabeth gave three sharp raps. The door opened and Lewis's big brother Lenny answered the door.

"Oh no, not you. Go away. Lewis wants nothing to do with you," Lenny said, looking at Charlotte.

Charlotte frowned. Of course she would expect this. Elizabeth whipped out her badge.

"Sir, my name is Agent Elizabeth Striker. I'm with the CIA. Are you Lewis McCartney?" Elizabeth asked in a formal manner; keeping in mind that she needed to keep secret the fact that she already knew who Lewis was.

He shook his head and gave her a look of worry.

"No, I'm his older brother. What's going on? Why does the CIA want to talk to my brother?" Lenny asked.

"It has to do with his friends who are missing. I just want to ask him some questions," Elizabeth explained.

"Okay, but why is she with you?" He asked in disgust.

"She's been of use. Now...your brother?"

Lenny nodded and allowed the two in to the house. The two waited by the entryway while Lenny went upstairs to grab Lewis. Within five seconds, it sounded as if a herd of elephants came barreling in to the room, as Lewis came bounding down the stairs. His eyes blinked in disbelief at what he was seeing. Charlotte cringed when she saw the unpleasant look that he gave her when the two locked gazes.

"Lewis McCartney?" Elizabeth asked, since Lenny was still hanging around.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" Lewis asked.

Elizabeth flashed him her badge.

"My name is Agent Elizabeth Striker. I've been assigned with the CIA to investigate the disappearance of your friends. I'd like to ask you a few questions about them," Elizabeth inquired.

Nodding, Lewis gestured for them to follow him outside, assuring his brother that he would be fine on his own. Once out of the house and at a safe distance to talk, Elizabeth opened up.

"Lewis, when was the last time that you saw them?"

"It was a few weeks ago, after the fifty year full moon. We were all hanging out at the beach when they decided to swim to Mako Island. I didn't see them after that and got worried, so I went to the Moon Pool, but they weren't there. I searched half the island, but they were nowhere to be found," Lewis answered.

"You didn't see anything strange while you were there?"

"Not really."

"Hmm. Maybe we should take another look, just in case there was something you missed. Did you get a bad feeling when they swam off to Mako? Did something not feel right to you?"

Lewis shook his head.

"No. But I'm really worried about them."

"You mean you're worried about Cleo?" Charlotte piped up, folding her arms across her chest.

Elizabeth gave her a warning look.

"What's she doing here?" Lewis asked, gesturing to Charlotte.

"She joined the agency."

Lewis gave Charlotte a look of bewilderment. Elizabeth was quick to ask her next question before Lewis began on his own.

"Do you ever recall the girls accidentally using their powers in public?"

"Oh yeah, plenty of times. One time, Rikki and Emma swum in to the dolphin pool and the Marine Park and accidentally let Ronnie escape. Emma once accidentally froze a person without knowing it and the girls all had to revive her. There's been a lot of mishaps, but they're not perfect. They've made mistakes," Lewis answered.

"Hmm. Have any of them used their powers on someone for payback? Perhaps because they felt cheated out of something that they got mixed in?"

"Yeah, well...only Rikki. This one guy was making a profit off of the fish that she was gathering. She didn't like that and almost boiled him to death," Lewis remembered.

Elizabeth and Charlotte both winced. Never make Rikki feel cheated.

"What was his name?" Elizabeth asked, pulling out her little black book.

"Barry? I think his name was Barry?"

"And was he arrested after the incident?"

"Yeah. I called the police beforehand once we found out that he had been selling fish without a license."

Elizabeth wrote the name down, then proceeded to check her phone. She and Charlotte had to get going soon.

"Charlotte told me about Linda Denman. Do you think that she could be behind the girls disappearance?" Elizabeth asked.

Lewis shook his head.

"I doubt it. She became convinced that the girls lost their powers forever."

Thanking him, Elizabeth said that it was all she needed and allowed for him to get on with his day. Before Lewis turned to go back inside, he turned around and called out, specifically to Charlotte.

"Thanks for helping."

He went inside. Charlotte felt a little tear trickle down her cheek. She could hear the sincerity and concern in his words. Despite that he was worried about the girls, specifically Cleo; Lewis was genuinely grateful that Charlotte was making it up by helping to look for them. She got in to the passenger seat and buckled up.

"What next?" Charlotte asked.

"We're going to get in contact with Evie McLarens family and friends next," Elizabeth replied.

Punching the address in the GPS, she drove towards their next location.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of H2O: Just Add Water or Mako Mermaids.**

 **Question: Should I put this down in the crossover section or nah?**

 **Let me know what you think of the story so far!**

* * *

Joshua and Agent Gregory drove to the home of the Sertori family. The drive for the most part was silent as the two kept their thoughts focused on the case. When they arrived, Joshua knocked on the door and a small blonde girl opened the door. Looking up at the two men, her eyes went wide.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am, we're with the CIA. We're investigating the disappearance of your sister, Cleo. Is your father home?" Gregory asked.

"He'll be home shortly," She replied.

"May we come in?" Joshua asked.

Looking at Joshua with doe eyes, she let them in and instantly began to hover close to Joshua. Joshua could sense her instant infatuation and he chuckled within himself. Oh, the innocence and chaos of puberty and what it did to a young girls mind.

"I'm Kim, by the way. Cleo's younger sister," Kim introduced herself to Joshua.

"Nice to meet you, Kim. Well, I guess while we wait for your father, can we ask you some questions?" Joshua asked.

She nodded. Gregory cleared his throat.

"When was the last time you saw your sister?" He asked.

"About two weeks ago. I saw her that morning before she went off to hang out with her friends that day. Sorry, that was the only time I saw her," Kim replied.

"Do you and your sister not hang out much?" Gregory asked.

Kim shook her head.

"Not really. The only one time we did was after she came back from disappearing for an entire day."

"So...she's left home before?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah. She ran away because...well...I don't know really. Dad pressured her to do the dishes since I quit doing that chore for her. She paid me to do them but I got fed up," Kim explained.

"Hmm, did you ever have your siblings do your chores when you were a kid?" Gregory asked Joshua.

"No actually, and I never paid for them either. Dang, I should have done that," Joshua joked, seeing how distraught Kim had become since the questions began.

But Kim didn't smile back in return.

"She was always weird. She hated water and it got worse about a year ago. I don't know why. She just avoided it all the time and I thought at one point that it was because she was a mermaid, but they don't exist," Kim replied.

Something clicked in Joshuas' head. Wait...Kim thought that his sister was a mermaid at one point? Or was she still? He saw his own fiancée as a mermaid once. It was because of a Moon Pool. Oh God...was Cleo a mermaid? Were the other missing women mermaids? Was that why they were missing? Joshua shut his mouth that was slightly open from this shocking revelation.

Suddenly, the door opened and Donald Sertori walked through the door. He looked worn out from his day down at the docks.

"Dad, there are some men here to ask you questions about Cleo," Kim called out, walking over to him.

Don came walking in to the living room, shaking hands with the agents. Gregory flashed him his CIA badge and Joshua showed his IDA one.

"IDA huh? Another one of you," Don mentioned.

"Ah yes, Agent Striker I believe was who you met last time. She was up here working on a case a while back," Joshua replied, remembering the assignment.

"Right. Well Agents, what would you like to know?" Don asked, sitting across from them in the living room.

"Did Cleo ever have any problems between you and Kim?" Gregory asked.

Don shrugged.

"We've had our fights; minor ones for the most part except for about a few weeks back. That was the only time she had run away," Don replied.

"Yes, Kim was just telling us about that. Does she hang out with friends who are a negative influence?" Gregory continued asking.

Don shook his head again.

"Nope. She's got good friends. Unfortunately, Rikki and Emma disappeared with her. God, I hope they're okay," Don wished out loud.

"Don't worry. We will find them. Did Cleo ever keep any secrets from you?" Gregory asked once again.

Don chuckled.

"Oh, many, I'm sure. She is a teenager after all."

"Do you mind if I search her room?" Joshua asked.

"By all means."

Giving him a grateful smile, Joshua headed upstairs to Cleos' room while Gregory asked some more questions. Having heard the instruction coming from downstairs to where her room was, Joshua found her door and entered. Instantly, he was immersed in an ocean themed bedroom. Furniture was coated in dust, indicating that no one had entered the room since Cleos' disappearance.

The fish tank was disgusting and it seemed that the fish were actually dead. He should probably take care of that for the family. It became impressed in his mind that both Don and Kim were struggling with Cleos' disappearance and could only do so much. Scooping the dead fish out of the tank, Joshua sent them down the toilet bowl in the adjourning bathroom.

Coming back in to the room, he looked around for any evidence that Cleo was in fact, a mermaid. He carefully went through her drawers, but found nothing. Looking in her closet, he saw three paint canvases tucked inside. Grabbing the three of them, he carefully laid them out on the bed. One of the paintings was in a golden yellow color and had the outline of a mermaid. Wow...that was a really good painting. Perhaps a little too good. There was no indication of Cleo being an artsy girl. In fact, it mostly indicated that she was rather girly.

Looking at the next painting, he saw that it was slightly burnt, but there were shapes outlined in it. In the shapes, it looked like there was a figure with its hand curled up in front of it. That was all. Interesting.

The last one was crisp from what felt like water drying after being thawed out. There wasn't even a painting. It was just a blank canvas that felt dried out.

It wasn't much, but the oddity of the art canvases were a start. He took pictures and then put the paintings back as he found them. He reached his hand under the mattress to feel for anything when he felt a solid object. He pulled out what appeared to be Cleos' diary. It was against his moral code to read in a girls diary; it was her own private thoughts after all. But he needed to find some indication to prove his revelation. Taking a deep breath, he opened it up to one page.

 _Dear Diary, after Charlotte bullied me with her mermaid powers, I decided that I was done. I got so sick and tired of having to balance the two worlds that I am stuck in. Sometimes, I wish that I could be a mermaid full time. Rikki and Emma were right; we never should have given her a chance.  
Cleo_

Well, that was it. That confirmed it. Cleo was a mermaid. And it seemed that Charlotte was too?! He had no idea. Elizabeth had kept that from him? Well...he could understand if it was to protect her. But she knew about Cleo as well? Did she know about Emma and Rikki also? Putting the diary back, Joshua left the room and came downstairs, seeing that Agent Watsford was wrapping up the questions. Joshua came down the stairs and shook hands with Don. They thanked the two for their cooperation and began on their way.

Getting in the car, the two took a moment to review what they learned, which was basically nothing. Gregory was confused. Things didn't make sense. Cleo sounded like a sweet girl, despite the fact that she kept her share of secrets and was often troubled by drama at school. Joshua had to keep his discovery a secret from Agent Watsford, since it concerned his daughter as well. He couldn't very well say to the CIA man that mermaids existed.

"Find anything in her room?" Gregory asked.

Joshua shook his head.

"Nothing. I don't think we're getting much luck. Elizabeth says that they haven't gotten much either from the McLaren family or the boyfriend of Evie," Joshua answered, reading the text message that he just got from her.

Little did the two know that Elizabeth and Charlotte actually uncovered secrets about Evie McLaren. They found out from her boyfriend that she was a mermaid and that he was a merman. It had shocked Charlotte to find out that there were more of them, and that there was also a merman. Once having finished up talking with Zac Blakey, he escorted them to the home of Rita Santos, where there were three girls there.

"Zac, who are these people?" The tall leggy blonde asked.

"Lyla, these two know about merpeople," Zac explained.

"What? How is that possible?" Nixie asked.

"Because we were mermaids too," Charlotte responded.

"Were?" Sirena asked.

"A planetary alignment of fifty years took our powers away at separate Moon Pools," Charlotte replied.

"I take it Rita Santos is also a mermaid?" Elizabeth asked.

"Who exactly are you?" Lyla asked, getting straight to the point while avoiding the question.

Elizabeth sighed and then showed them her badge.

"I work for a government agency that works to find missing people. Three girls that we know that are mermaids, went missing as well. Do any of you know a Cleo Sertori, Emma Gilbert or Rikki Chadwick? Maybe even an Isabella Hartley?" Elizabeth asked.

The girls shook their heads.

"Odd. I wonder why none of you have crossed paths then, especially if Mako Island has only one Moon Pool," Elizabeth remarked.

No one could really answer that.

"Answer my question. Is Rita Santos also a mermaid?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Yes! But what's it to you? What does that have to do with anything?" Lyla asked, annoyed already.

Elizabeth gave her an intimidating glare and despite that she was much shorter than Lyla, she managed to frighten the girl with her stare.

"I believe the reason why Rita is missing, along with these other women, is because they are mermaids. I believe that someone has witnessed something that they've done and has taken it upon themselves to capture them, and to study them. The more I know, the sooner we can find and rescue them," Elizabeth replied.

"Well, let us help then. We have powers that neither of you have since you're not mermaids anymore," Zac spoke up.

Elizabeth chuckled.

"Oh sweetie, I have abilities despite not being a mermaid. Do you want to see?" Elizabeth asked.

"Let's not scare them," Charlotte spoke up, putting a hand on Elizabeths' shoulder.

It had freaked her out enough to see those feline eyes the first them.

"Look, you probably should go in to hiding or something. You've already lost Evie and Rita because they are mermaids. If any of you accidentally expose yourselves or have to randomly jump in to water because you got wet, someone could see. Any of your lives could be in danger," Charlotte spoke up.

"And why should we listen to you? You're not an official," Lyla replied in a snarky tone, her arms folded across her chest.

Ugh...this girl was getting on Charlottes nerves.

"Well, I will be. And if I still had my mermaid powers, I would go in to hiding as requested by Agent Striker. It's too dangerous to be out in the open. Stay hidden. You don't want to end up being dissected," Charlotte spoke.

Everyone cringed at that word and were quick to comply to the request.

"Is there anywhere besides Mako Island where you can find refuge?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes. We can go back to our pod. It's away from here," Sirena answered.

"Alright, get going then."

But a silence fell as the girls looked at Zac with awkwardness. It occurred to Elizabeth that there was some tension going on between the merman and mermaids. She could sense that the mermaids couldn't trust Zac. But why not?

"He can't come with us," Lyla spoke up.

"Why not?"

"Because he's a merman. He'll endanger us all."

"I don't care. As far as I'm concerned, any merman's life is in danger just as much as a mermaids at the moment. Now, get going," Elizabeth ordered.

Lyla tried arguing against bringing Zac along, but Elizabeth would hear nothing about it. She and Charlotte helped pack up what they needed and Elizabeth suddenly felt something rub up against her leg. Looking down, she saw a white fluffy cat at her feet. She picked him up and saw the tag.

"Poseidon huh? Hey buddy, why don't you come with me for a while? I know just who will take care of you."

Elizabeth looked over at Charlotte and gave her a look, which Charlotte picked up immediately. They were going to her home. She was going to have to confront her mother.

* * *

 **Uh-oh. Looks like Charlottes going to have to deal with her mom now. I wonder what Annette will think when Charlotte brings up her father.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, I'm back. Just been busy with married life is all.  
I've been watching Supernatural and almost done the series. Once I'm done, I'm going to re-watch H2O: Just Add Water, and then Mako Mermaids.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the H2O or Mako characters.**

* * *

Charlotte and Elizabeth had arrived at Charlottes home and while Elizabeth was on the phone playing catch up with the men, Charlotte had a very awkward conversation with her mother as she explained about the cat, Poseidon. The lie that Charlotte came up with was that one of the victims cats had been neglected since they disappeared, and needed to be taken care of. Annette was unsure at first, since she had never had a pet in their home before, but she complied.

As Elizabeth continued on her conversation, she looked over at Charlotte with a watchful eye.

"So, mom, there's an agent that we're working with. He's really handsome and not much older than you. I was thinking that maybe you two should meet up when he has a break," Charlotte brought up, trying to be careful.

Annette looked at her daughter, wondering what she was getting at.

"Are you implying that I need to go on a date? With a stranger?"

"Why not? Mom, when was the last time that you even went on a night out in town?" Charlotte asked, putting Poseidon on the floor.

"No, I couldn't possibly," Annette began to protest.

"Mom, I really think that you should do this. You should just give him a chance," Charlotte pushed.

Annette sighed and shook her head. There was that stubborn streak that Charlotte carried. There would be no way out of it unless Annette agreed to the date.

"What's his name?"

Charlotte smiled brightly.

"His name is Gregory."

And instantly, Mrs. Watsford had a look on her face that seemed to be a mix of shock and disbelief, with sadness.

"That's impossible..."

"Mother?"

"He's dead..."

"Mom, no he's not. I know who he is! I know that he's my father. Why did you never tell me about him?" Charlotte asked.

"Because your father is dead, Charlotte!" Annette cried.

"He's not. He's alive. He's teamed up with us on this case that we're working on. Just come with me and see him," Charlotte urged.

Annette shook her head.

"No. I won't do that to myself. Charlotte, you must stay away from him. Don't talk to him, don't mention me, don't do anything! If anyone were to figure out the relationship that he had..." Annette stopped talking.

Elizabeth had hung up before this bit of the conversation and had stayed back to only listen. But at this point, she needed to step in. She approached and placed a hand on Annettes' shoulder.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Watsford. I'll make sure that Charlotte stays distant from him," Elizabeth reassured.

"That's not fair! He's my dad!" Charlotte protested.

"And at the moment, Charlotte, that is dangerous information. If anyone...anyone were to find out, your mother would not be safe, and neither would you. You've got to understand that in this line of work, having any sort of relationship is dangerous," Elizabeth explained.

"You and Joshua are engaged," Charlotte reminded.

"But nobody knows that, which is why I don't wear my ring. I'm sorry, but we should keep our distance and I know how to do that," Elizabeth replied.

"How?"

"We're going to travel down to Ireland, where Isabella Hartley's family lives. We can continue our investigations there," Elizabeth announced.

"Wow...that's almost a four days flight," Annette gasped.

Elizabeth nodded.

"I already let Joshua and Gregory know. They'll continue the investigation here, while we get packing. We should get going."

Nodding, Charlotte led the way out of the house, but Elizabeth gave her a look that gestured back towards her mother. Charlotte sighed and took a deep breath. She turned around and headed back for her mother, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Annette embraced her daughter.

"I'm so sorry, mom. I'm sorry for the fighting and for leaving against your wishes," Charlotte apologized.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh. But it seems that this has been doing you good so far. Be safe," Annette warned.

"I will."

With one last hug, mother and daughter broke apart and Annette ushered the two women out of her home. She watched as Charlotte walked off with Agent Striker and she grabbed the rosary that hung around her neck. She gave a silent prayer to The Lord, asking that He keep her daughter safe during her time on this case. A little tear trickled down her face and she wiped it away as she closed the door behind her.

"Alrighty, let's get ready for Ireland," Elizabeth announced, as she drove away from the Watsford residence.

"Do you travel this much during a case?" Charlotte asked, dreading going back on the airplane.

"Yup! Get used to it," Elizabeth replied with a grin on her face.

She drove them to the hotel.

* * *

Meanwhile, Agent Reynolds and Agent Watsford just came from the home of Terry Chadwick, the father of Rikki.

"Well, we don't have much out of Terry, except for the fact that his daughter has had some issues because of her mother leaving," Gregory spoke up.

"Damn, that poor girl. I almost want to track down her mother, so that she knows what's going on," Joshua replied.

"I agree, but the database wouldn't come up with anything. Come on, I think better on a full stomach," Gregory said as they got to his car.

"Where are we headed?" Joshua asked.

"I saw a Juice Café not too far away from here. A protein shake sounds pretty good right about now."

Joshua could not agree anymore. They drove a little ways until they came to the waterfront, where they saw a building called the JuiceNet Café. Getting out of the car, they headed inside and Joshua noticed that it was more of a teenagers hang out spot. Nevertheless, he and his partner headed for a booth and a waitress came to grab their orders. Gregory looked at the menu.

"Uh...I'll get the MoonTower. What do you want, kiddo?" Gregory asked.

"I'll have The Hulk."

Nodding, the waitress left and following came a young man with dark hair and a pleasant grin on his face.

"Hello boys, how's everything going?" The young man asked.

"Pretty good, thanks," Joshua replied.

"Great. My names' Ash Dove, I'm the manager of this place. Well...assistant manager," Ash introduced.

The name struck a bell. The Gilberts mentioned that Emma had a boyfriend named Ash.

"Ash Dove? Your girlfriend is Emma Gilbert?" Joshua asked.

A sad look came across Ashs's face.

"Why do you want to know?" Ash asked.

The two looked at each other before pulling out their badges.

"We're investigating the disappearance of Emma along with her friends, and some other women. Can we ask you a couple of questions?" Gregory asked.

Nodding, Ash sat down with them and Gregory pulled out his little black book.

"When was the last time that you saw Emma?"

"About two weeks ago. We had closing shift together."

"And have you noticed anything strange about Emma? Anything that would give off any indication that she was in some sort of trouble or anything?" Joshua asked.

"Now that you mention it, yes! There are a lot of strange things about Emma. She's not an ordinary girl, I'll tell you that," Ash replied.

"Do tell," Gregory urged, grabbing the drinks once they were served.

As the two had their drinks, they listened as Ash Dove went off in great detail about all the strange things that he had seen around Emma, or had found odd. He talked about a horse that had gotten sick, then was better the next day. Emma had been there the whole time. Then there was her weird attitude on certain nights. One time, he swore that he saw Emma along with her friends suspended in the air.

Joshua knew that these odd things about Emma were the workings of mermaid magic. He had to tell Gregory, but was afraid that he would be certified as crazy. Still, were was the harm in trying?

"...But what gets to me is that she says that at the end of this year, her family is going traveling. I won't be able to see her for who knows how long!" Ash finished.

"Any idea where they planned on going?" Gregory asked.

"Sure, Ireland. But I doubt it now, since she's gone missing," Ash replied.

Gregory and Joshua looked at each other. Both of them seemed to share the same thought. Perhaps...perhaps the victims were there? There was obviously no indication or sightings of the girls being in Queensland, much less any word on the criminal activity that something like this had been witnessed. There were no witnesses here.

Finishing their drinks, Gregory paid Ash the money and thanked him for his time. The agents got to their feet and headed for the car. Joshua pulled out his phone and made a quick call to Elizabeth.

"Hey, book two more flights for Ireland. We're all going down there," Joshua announced.

"Did you get a lead?" Elizabeth asked over the phone.

"Perhaps. We came to the conclusion that they were taken out of the country. There have been no witnesses to these crimes. I suggest that once we get to the airport, we ask security and staff members if they have seen any of the missing women," Joshua suggested.

"Good call. We are at the hotel right now. We'll wait for you," Elizabeth replied.

They ended their call and Gregory drove them back to the hotel to pack up. Arriving, they went to their room and Joshua opened up the adjourning door. He gestured for Elizabeth to follow him out to the hallway and they walked a ways away to talk in private.

"Elizabeth...I know that you weren't the only mermaid here in Queensland," Joshua confessed.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, trying to feign ignorance.

"Well, I did my own little snooping at the Sertori home and found some odd things in Cleos' room. There were many indications that led me to believe that she and her friends are mermaids. We got a kid who dated one of the girls saying that he always noticed strange things," Joshua explained.

He went in to detail about the rest of his findings and Elizabeth just listened. She finally spoke up and confessed that yes, she did know that Rikki, Emma and Cleo were mermaids. She also confessed that she found more and ordered them to leave so that they could stay hidden and protected. Elizabeth then continued on by finding out that the other women, Rita, Mimmi and Evie were also mermaids, and that possibly, Isabella was one as well. But they wouldn't know for sure until they hit Ireland.

"So...why didn't you tell me about Charlotte and the other girls?" Joshua asked.

Elizabeth looked him straight in the eye.

"Because I wanted to respect and protect their secret. But now that I'm sure that they're all missing because of who they are, we can't keep this secret from Gregory. He should know what we're getting ourselves in to," Elizabeth suggested.

"No, it's too dangerous. He can't know about who Charlotte used to be, or who the women are. He's CIA, Elizabeth. The CIA is completely different from IDA. They have corrupt agents, we don't. We don't know what kind of man he really is, and how he would deal with this situation. Until we get more answers in Ireland, we keep this quiet," Joshua urged.

Nodding in agreement and understanding, the two walked back to their hotel rooms to continue packing. When they had come back, they witnessed Charlotte and her father interacting in a friendly way.

"...And I tried to tell mom, but she doesn't want to listen," Charlotte spoke.

"Where do you think you get your stubbornness from? It's definitely not from me," Gregory replied.

Charlotte smile a little bit, then looked up at her dad.

"What did I inherit from you?" She asked.

"Well...you have my eyes, that's for sure. Your mannerisms are from me. Why do you think you're so inquisitive? And if you're really anything like me, you're probably an artist," Gregory pointed out.

Charlotte gave a proud smile and pulled out her phone. She brought up her photo album and showed him some of the art that she had done. He nodded and gave a look of impression.

"Those are very good."

"Thanks."

Elizabeth and Joshua looked at each other as they witnessed the father-daughter interaction. It was going to be hard keeping the two apart, especially now that they would all be going down to Ireland. There was no stopping either of them now. Looking at Gregory, Elizabeths' senses went off. They were telling her that Gregory Watsford was warming up to his daughter, and that the aching feeling in his heart was melting away; like an ice cube on a hot summers day.

She continued watching from her place by the door and as she looked on, Elizabeth felt a bit of jealousy in her heart. She saw the way that Gregory looked at Charlotte, with the love in his eyes that she herself longed for. But...at least Charlotte and her father were now getting along. Despite her jealousy, Elizabeth knew that she couldn't restrict the happiness that Charlotte deserved.

For now, she would allow Charlotte to have time with her father.


	7. Chapter 7

**This is an AU Fanfiction. All characters of H2O and Mako do not belong to me.**

 **Hey, if you're reading this, whether as a silent reader or not, let me know in the review box what you think so far of the story!**

* * *

Going through security at the airport while showing pictures of the missing women, the agents discovered from guards and staff that they had seen these women come through the airport a few weeks back, and that there were people with them. It had happened over time. First, Rikki, Cleo and Emma had gone through, then Rita, Mimmi and Evie. All of them had gone through with at least two different men, and the descriptions of them were pretty generic.

As they currently waited to board, Elizabeth watched as Charlotte continued talking with her father. It seemed that so far, the two were enjoying the others company. Charlotte was indeed enjoying getting to know her father, finally. She wasn't sure what made him finally change his mind in getting to know her, but it didn't matter. She learned much about him and the things that the two had in common.

"...And this is Mako Island. I had a friend take me on his boat out there so that I could paint it. Grandmother Gracie had visited there when she was a young girl and painted also, so I wanted to find all the spots that she did," Charlotte told her father, as she scrolled through pictures with him on her phone of her paintings.

"Wow...these are beautiful! What makes Mako Island so special?" Gregory asked.

Elizabeths' ears perked up when she heard about Mako Island. She had forgotten to search it for any clues as to who could have been there besides the mermaids. Was it that important though to miss her flight? Looking out the window, she could just see the top of the volcano on the Island. She had to look for more clues. She sighed and turned to the others.

"I forgot that there was somewhere that I needed to check for more clues," She announced.

"Where?" Gregory asked.

"A hang-out spot that Cleo and her friends went to. It just occurred to me..."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Joshua asked.

"Or me?" Charlotte chimed in.

Elizabeth shook her head. They would only slow her down. She could cover the whole Island within two hours because of her abilities.

"No, it's fine. You guys head on to Ireland without me. I'll catch the next flight out when I can," Elizabeth responded.

"Alright. We will see you there," Joshua replied.

Charlotte approached Elizabeth before the brunette took off.

"What do you think you're doing?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm just following a hunch. Are you going to be okay without me?" Elizabeth asked.

Charlotte looked over at her father and Joshua. Seeing her dad, she felt a sudden happiness in her heart. Elizabeth trusted her enough to be on her own with her dad.

"Yeah, I will. See you soon," Charlotte said.

Thanking her, Elizabeth tore off back the way she came and made her way past security. Once she was gone, Charlotte returned back to Joshua and Gregory.

"So...what do we expect to find in Ireland?" Charlotte asked.

"Hopefully, the missing women and the people who took them. But I want to know is, why? Why these particular women? They're virtually not connected in any way," Gregory questioned.

Charlotte almost wanted to blurt out what she and Elizabeth found out, but held her tongue. She wasn't sure how her dad would react to mermaids. From what she observed about him, he was a very by the book and serious man. He believed in hard science and facts. Mermaids would be something that he would surely laugh at. Charlotte kept quiet.

"Well, I had a theory, but it's ridiculous to even think about," Joshua spoke up.

Charlotte gave him a warning look, as if to tell him not to say what she thought he was going to say. Did he...did he know?

"What theory?" Gregory asked.

"Well, I just thought that they could have been individual witnesses to some major operation that we know nothing about, so they were tracked down and taken away," Joshua replied.

Charlotte let out a subtle sigh of relief. Okay...obviously, Joshua didn't know. Elizabeth promised to keep that secret from him.

"Hmm, could be."

Silence fell between the three and the announcement finally came that they could board the plane. Boarding on, Charlotte took her seat next to Joshua and she had a window seat. She waited patiently until they were up in the air and she looked down at Queensland, once again leaving. This time, she looked back at Mako Island, still hoping that she can go there when the next full moon were to rise.

* * *

 **Just wanted to make this a short little chapter.**

 **A lot will be happening soon, and I just want to pace myself.**

 **Enjoy!  
Review, follow, favorite and all that fun stuff!**


	8. Chapter 8

Elizabeth reached Mako Island by jetty and immediately made her way towards the entrance to the Moon Pool. As she walked, she kept checking her surroundings for any clues or signs as to whether there were strangers on the Island. So far however, she found  
/nothing.

She found the rock entrance and avoided falling in. She went in the forest and found a nice strong vine that was long enough to reach down the entrance. She tied one end to the closest tree trunk, then threw the rest down in to the caves entrance. Carefully,  
/she made her way down.

Walking in to the Moon Pool, Elizabeth basked in its beauty. She never realized how truly beautiful it was down here. With her senses, she could pick up the magic that resonated in the cave. She walked around, looking for any clues that could help. Near  
/the pool, she found orange scales that came from some mermaid. It was still fresh. One of them had recently been here. Looking still, she saw fresh footprints in the sand. Scratch that...someone was still here.

"Alright, I know you're here, so you may as well show yourself," Elizabeth called out as she got to her feet.

Out of a hidden corner in the cave, Zac came on out.

"How did you know?" The brunetteasked.

"Well, footprints in the sand are a dead giveaway. What are you doing here, Zac? I told you to go to with the mermaids," Elizabeth reminded the mermaid.

"I know, and I went. But Veridia forced me to leave, saying that I was not welcome," Zac explained.

"Who's Veridia?"

"She's the leader of the pod. So, I decided to just hide here," Zac finished.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you don't mind, but I'm searching the entire Island, hoping to find out if there is some clue as to how your sister, girlfriend and Principal went missing," Elizabeth explained.

"That's...also another reason why I'm here. I was looking for answers myself. So far...nothing," Zac replied.

"Would you like to help me?" Elizabeth offered.

"Sure," Zac shrugged his big shoulders.

She led him back to the slope and she gripped the vine that waited there. She climbed up and Zac followed.

"Well, this is a good idea. We never thought about that," Zac mentioned.

"That's because you're all fish..." Elizabeth remarked.

Zac chuckled and they reached high ground. Elizabeth and Zac fanned out in opposite directions from the entrance, looking for clues. Finding nothing, they continued on. Taking out her phone, Elizabeth checked the time and realized that at this point,  
/she and Zac had been searching for three hours already. Her stomach grumbled.

"Are you hungry?" Elizabeth called out.

"Starving!" He shouted out.

"Let's go catch some fish," She suggested.

They took a quick break and went to a stream nearby. Zac couldn't touch the water without transforming in to a merman and Elizabeth chuckled.

"When I was a mermaid, I had complete control over my transformation," she remembered.

"That's not fair!" Zac whined.

"Well...it's a long story. Wait until I catch these suckers," she replied.

Finding the two perfect fish, Elizabeth snatched them with her two hands and held them in the dry and crisp air as they wiggled about. Zac started up a fire with his merman powers. They cooked their portions and Elizabeth told Zac about her time as a  
/mermaid and explained the abilities that she already had. Zac was amazed by her tale and expressed that he wished he was there to witness it.

"I don't think you would have wanted to. Those powers killed people," Elizabeth told him.

"Wow, Veridia would have had a field day with you," Zac commented.

Elizabeth laughed. She didn't doubt it, judging by what Zac told her about the leader of the pod. Finishing their food, the two continued to search the Island. Elizabeth used vantage points on nearby trees and would use her heightened vision to see what  
/she could find. Eventually, something caught her attention and she jumped from her vantage point. She walked towards the shoreline on the opposite side of the island.

There were plenty of indications and they all set off alarm bells in her brain. There were many people here at some point. Footprints were still in the sand, undisturbed by nature. But...how was that possible?

"Zac! I found something!" Elizabeth called out.

He came running, but was thrown awayfrom Elizabeth by some unknown force. He landed harshly on his back. Elizabeth looked in shock. What just happened? Getting to his feet, Zac shook himself free of sand and tried again. Again, he was throw away.

"There is magic on this part of the Island, I can feel it," Zac spoke out.

It made sense. Mako Island was full of mysteries. Maybe this was like a force field to keep merpeople out, and was a way for humans to enter. As she checked her surroundings, Elizabeth realized that no animals made a sound in any general direction that  
/she was in. There was no wind, no sound of rushing water, not even water movement. It was all just...still. It was bizzare.

Pushing the weirdness aside, she looked at the footprints and tracked them in to the still water. There were indications of scuffling and dragging of feet. Oh god...

Then, Elizabeth stepped in to the ocean water. It felt oddly warm, unlike the other side of Mako Island. She waded out until the water hit just below her shorts. She looked up and saw that Zacjust waited patiently for her. Taking a deep breath,  
she dived

underwater and swam down. Opening her eyes and using her night vision ability, Elizabeth found something. She picked it up and resurfaced.

Looking at theobject in her hand, she saw that it was some sort of equipment. It looked like a sonar radar.

"There was definitely a boat here! And people! I think this is where the girls were taken!" Elizabeth shouted out to Zac.

"Is there anything else?!" He yelled back.

Throwing the piece of equipment to shore, Elizabeth dove underwater again. She went further then she could stand and had to resurface to catch her breath. The warm water was oddly calming on the stresses that she carried in her life. She almost just wanted  
/to stay there and bask in it. She caught herself and dived again.

Her hands grabbed something short, thick, and rectangular. She resurfaced and took a look at it. It was a magazine clipping. They had guns! She threw that to shore as well. Elizabeth floated in the warm water and began to lose focus on her mission. She  
/just wanted to feel like this forever.

"Agent Striker! Agent Striker! Get out of the water!" Zac yelled.

She could hardly hear him as she began to mutter softly to herself about how she didn't want to get out. The water...it was just so calming. Little did Elizabeth realize that the water had its own magical properties, and that creatures began swimming  
/towards her.

Zac, seeing movements in the water behind the woman, began to worry. He ran forward, only to be thrown back again. Darn this magic! Wait...what if...? He remembered that he had Evies moon ring and he took it out of his pocket. Putting it on his pinky  
/finger, Zac used it on the invisible force in front of him. He walked towards it,hoping to make it past. There was a loud shattering sound and the moon rings glow died down.

He took three steps forward and had gone past the line that had kept throwing him back. He raced towards the waters edge.

"Get out of the water!" He yelled.

"Hmm?" Elizabeth hummed, as if just hearing him for the first time.

She barely had time to move when she felt something sharp grip the bottom of her feet. A short scream ripped from her throat before she was pulled under.

Zac dived in after her and transformed into a merman. Looking underwater, he saw that two creatures has grabbed hold of the female agent. They were creatures that he had never seen before, but they looked almost like eels. Giant eels. He thrusted his  
/hand forward in a tight half closed fist and unleashed his heating powers. He boiled the water around the creatures. They screeched and released their grips, swimming off in defeat.

Zac grabbed hold of Elizabeth and brought her up to the surface for air. Swimming to shore, he laid her unconscious body there.

"Come on...wake up. Please, wake up. You've got the find Evie and the others," Zac pleaded.

A quick drying off of his tail and back to human form, Zac became startled when Elizabeth suddenly shot up, spewing water out of her mouth.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded and looked down at the items that she had retrieved from the water. Taking them each in her hands, she studied them and found an indication as to who they belonged to. There were no names or any engravings.

"No...there's got to be more..." She muttered.

Elizabeth got to her feet, only to fall back down in pain. She looked down at her ankles, seeing the bite marks that the creatures left on her. Blood was oozing.

"Oh...oh god..." Zac blubbered as he saw the sight of blood.

"Don't be such a whimp, it's just blood," Elizabeth said to Zac.

She got back to her feet and bite through the pain. She had been through worse. She looked around, until finally, she found something that was more of a clue than anything else. Half buried in the sand, was a gun. Picking it up, she looked it over. A  
/look of recognition lit up in her eyes and she gasped.

"I know who it is. I know whose behind this!" She cried.

"Who?" Zac asked.

She didn't reply, but quickly pulled out her phone. Oddly enough, she had a signal on this side of the Island. Quickly, she placed a call to Joshua, but got his voicemail.

"Joshua? Joshua listen, answer the phone! I know who it is. You've got to get Charlotte out of there and find the others..." The signal suddenly was lost.

* * *

 **I am a mean person when it comes to cliffhangers.**

 **More to come in the future!**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

Charlotte, Agent Reynolds, and Agent Watsford arrived in Ireland and proceeded to grab their luggage. Charlotte and her father took the lead, while Joshua hung back to turn on his phone. He hadn't paid much attention to Charlotte and her father the entire flight, as they had talked the whole way over. Even now, they were still chatting away.

His phone turned on, Joshua saw that he had a missed call from Elizabeth. He listened to the voicemail.

" _Joshua? Joshua listen, answer the phone! I know who it is. You've got to get Charlotte out of there and find the others_..."

The message was cut off and that was all he heard. Joshua grew concerned. Did she find something, only for someone to cut her off? Had she been caught? Who was it? Who was behind all of this?

"Agent Reynolds, what's wrong?" Agent Watsford asked.

"It's Agent Striker. I got a message from her, saying that she knew who was behind it, but her message was cut off," Joshua explained.

Charlotte gasped.

"Did someone stop her?" She asked.

Joshua shrugged. He had no clue what happened.

"If she was captured, then whoever it is, is probably on their way here with her right now. I'll stay here at the airport to keep an eye out for her. You two should get going to the Hartleys home," Agent Watsford suggested.

"Are you going to be okay here for a few hours?" Charlotte asked.

Her dad nodded.

"I've hung around airports for hours longer than this. You two go ahead. I'll stay here," He repeated.

Nodding, Joshua and Charlotte grabbed the suitcases and left the airport. Charlotte looked behind her to look at her dad. She saw him pull out his cell phone to make a call, most likely to put out an APB. She turned back and followed Joshua out the doors until they reached their shuttle. Loading their cases, they boarded on and they were taken to their hotel.

"What if she was captured? What'll happen to her?" Charlotte asked with great concern.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's been in tougher situations. Let's just get to the hotel to unload our stuff, then go to the Hartleys home to ask them questions," Joshua explained.

Charlotte nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile back on the Gold Coast, Elizabeth growled in frustration.

"Great, just great! I have to get to Ireland to warn the others and to rescue the missing mermaids, but it'll take forever to go by flight!" Elizabeth cried.

"How long of a flight is it?" Zac asked.

"Three hours. Damn, I hate to admit it, but right now would be a really good time to be a mermaid myself. With my abilities combined, I could get there in no time, while still avoiding the chaos of tsunamis," Elizabeth wished out loud.

A light bulb went off in Zacs head.

"Maybe you still can. All we have to do is get you to Veridia. She can do it for you," He suggested.

"Will she allow it?" Elizabeth asked.

He shrugged.

"It's worth a try. Come on. You can hold on to my tail," Zac said as he plunged in to the warm water.

He transformed in to a merman and Elizabeth walked back in as well. She grabbed on to his tail and Zac stayed above water as he motored through to the other side of Mako Island and then off to where the pod was. When they arrived, many of the mermaids were shocked to see Zac and a human in their presence.

Elizabeth kept her grip as Zac swam her over to the older looking mermaid. This was Veridia. She had long red hair, and what appeared to look like a crown on her head. There was a scornful look on her face.

"What is this? Zac, do you realize what you have just done?!" Veridia yelled.

"Look, I need your help," Elizabeth began.

"We do not help humans. Get out!" Veridia ordered.

Elizabeth was able to retrieve her badge from her pocket and she held it up to Veridia, explaining her role in the human world, what she did, and why she came seeking help.

"...I have no choice. I need my tail back. If I don't, your mermaids will suffer. I'm sure you want them back. I'm the only one who can do that," Elizabeth pleaded.

"How do we know that you won't come back and try to expose us to your world?" Veridia asked.

"I would have done that by now, don't you think?"

Veridia saw the desperation in the young woman's eyes, and she herself knew that the mermaids lives were in danger. She sighed and held up her fist that had a moon ring on it. She ordered Zac to swim away and Elizabeth let go of his tail.

With the glow of the moon ring on her, as well as a spell being chanted, Elizabeth could feel her body begin to transform. The process was complete and there was a chorus of gasps.

"She has a green tail!"

"And seashells!"

With a quick thanks, Elizabeth dove underwater and swam off as fast as she could allow, creating strong ripples in the water.

* * *

Charlotte and Joshua reached the Hartleys residence. It was a beautiful home near a cliff side. The grass was a beautiful dark green and the rocks on the cliff side nearby were dark in contrast to the big blue sky above them.

"Wow, it's beautiful here. Do you think I could paint it when this is all over?" Charlotte asked.

"We shall see," Joshua replied with a grin.

They approached the home and knocked on the door. It was answered by a middle aged man, who had medium length blonde hair and brown eyes. Those eyes seemed to be of despair.

"Mr. Isaac Hartley?" Joshua asked.

He nodded. Joshua showed him his badge and explained his presence. The man allowed the two in to his home and ushered them in to his living room.

"Maureen, there're CIA agents who are here about Isabella," Isaac called out to his wife.

A beautiful red headed woman walked in to the living room, a look of relief of her face.

"Finally! We've been waiting to hear some news. Have you found her? Is she safe?" Maureen asked.

Joshua shook his head.

"I'm sorry, no we haven't. We just came to ask some questions."

"Well then you're no help!" Maureen yelled.

"Darling, they're just doing their job," Isaac spoke in a soft tone.

"When was the last time that you saw your daughter?" Charlotte asked.

"Two months ago."

This implied that Isabella was the first to go missing.

"Do you know why she would just disappear?" Joshua asked.

"Well...no..." Maureen replied.

Charlotte and Joshua caught that. The mother was hiding something. The two looked at each other, curious to know if they knew. Charlotte was quick to reply.

"Is Isabella a mermaid?"

Isaac laughed perhaps a little too forcefully.

"No! Why would you ask such a ridiculous question? Our daughter? A mermaid? They don't even exist!"

"But they do. I know, I was one once. The other women who are missing...they're also mermaids. Mr. Hartley, if Isabella is a mermaid, then you've got to realize that her life is in a greater danger than you think," Charlotte spoke up.

The husband and wife looked to each other and hung their heads in shame. Maureen finally looked up at the two.

"She is. We found out unintentionally when we came to see if she was alright. She had slipped in the bathroom and...well...we saw what had happened to her," Maureen explained.

"How long ago did she become one?" Charlotte asked.

"She said it happened when she was nine years old. She found a cave with a pool in it and that's where it happened," Isaac replied.

"Where is the cave? Did she ever show you?" Joshua asked.

"No, she never did. She said it would be best if we didn't know where it was. Ever since she went missing, we've checked all of the caves that we could find, but there's been no sign of her," Isaac replied.

"We will take a look around. Don't worry, we will find her," Charlotte promised.

"Thank-you."

Nodding, the two got to their feet and left the home.

"Alright, I'm going to give my dad a call to let him know what we will be up to," Charlotte saidas she pulled out her phone.

"What exactly are you going to tell him?" Joshua asked.

"That we spoke to the parents and now we are going to do some searching. That's it, that's all," Charlotte replied.

Joshua nodded. Charlotte placed the call, but got no answer.

"Hmm, that's weird."

"What is?"

"He's not answering his phone. It's on...but he's not answering."

"He's probably busy talking to security. You should know this by now," Joshua explained.

Nodding, Charlotte pocketed her phone and the two got back in their rental car. On instinct, Joshua drove down towards the beach. He knew that back in Sooke, there was a Moon Pool that faced out towards the ocean in the side of a cliff. Perhaps it was around there.

* * *

Elizabeth arrived in Ireland and surfaced nearthe beach, where she discovered that it was deserted. She didn't see a cave nearby for a moon pool, so she dove back underwater to try to find one.

As she swam underwater, Elizabeth could feel a sense of peace overwhelm her as her body moved in sync with the water in the ocean. She missed this feeling; she had to admit it toherself. Feeling a different current, Elizabeth looked on up ahead and saw an underwater cave. Her senses rose up, and she got that strong feeling from when she entered the moon pool back in Queensland. This was the entrance! She swam on in.

Surfacing, she saw how beautiful it was. The same magical feeling resonated these cave walls and looking on ahead, Elizabeth saw that this Moon Pool was similar to the one in Sooke. There was a big opening that revealed the ocean ahead. The sun was in the sky and it's rays hit the water in the pool. This was where Isabella Hartley must have transformed.

Suddenly, a net was thrown down on Elizabeth and she was wrapped up inside it! She frantically began pulling on the net, but there were sharp pieces of barbed wire twisted around the nets ropes. It caused her hands to bleed!

"Wow! Look at this guys! A green tailed mermaid!" A mans voice called out.

Turning around and looking up, Elizabeth was met by a man with sandy blonde hair that went to the nape of his neck. He had green eyes and suntanned skin.

"A green tailed mermaid? You're joking! Let me see!" Another man called out.

"I don't believe it!" A female voice rang out.

The other man and woman approached. The other man had dark brown hair and blue eye, while the woman, who looked pretty young, had black hair as well as blue eyes.

Elizabeth stopped her struggling and instead, went to use her combined feline and mermaid powers. It was easy, like riding a bike. She summoned up a ball of water and heated it up, throwing it at the man with the net. A little bit scalded his ear as he avoided it.

"Ouch! That hurt! She burned me!"

"Wow okay...this is definitely a rare gem. Let's take her to the others," The dark haired man suggested.

"Good idea."

"Who are you?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Wow...demanding too. Definitely not like the others," The blonde haired man chuckled.

"I'm a federal agent! If you don't let me go, there will be hell to pay!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Federal Agent? Give me a break," Thefemale scoffed.

"Oh yeah? Then what's your name?" The blonde asked.

Elizabeth grinned.

"I'm Agent Elizabeth Striker, and you my friends, will be dead meat," She threatened.

The three looked at each other as the blonde finally dragged Elizabeth out of he moon pool and further in to the cave. Her name struck fear in their hearts.

"Well shit. What are we going to do to her, Barry?" The dark haired man asked.

"The same thing that we always do," Barry answered.

Elizabeth looked on ahead and her eyes went wide with shock. What she witnessed, was what she didn't hope to see. There were the seven mermaids, all trapped in water tanks, bruised and cut up. She saw Rikki, Cleo and Emma all in their own eyes lit up with recognition, but they dare not call any attention. The other mermaids, Rita, Mimmi, Isabella, and Evie, all saw the green tailed mermaid and were completely shocked.

There was no other tank, so Barry dragged Elizabeth over to an alcove in the cave and he set up a barbed wire fence around her to keep her blocked in.

She could do it right now. She could destroy them all. But they were all in a cave and that would cause destruction upon everyone. Elizabeth would just have to wait it out.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **We are getting so close to finishing!**


	10. Chapter 10

Charlotte stood at the shoreline, looking out at the ocean in front of her. She sighed as she breathed in the salt water. How she longed to be part of that world once again. Joshua joined her by the waters edge.

"I think we've covered about every inch of the cliffs, and still no cave to the moon pool," Joshua said.

An idea came to Charlotte.

"Maybe we can't find it, because we have to swim to find it."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. How else would a mermaid get to and from? Come on!" Charlotte urged and began racing up the hill back their rental car.

"Where are we going?" Joshua asked.

"We're going further down!" She replied.

They got in to the car and Joshua drove them further down the road until they came to a part of the beach that seemed far more secluded than the rest. Parking, the two got out out and Charlotte raced to the waters edge. She pulled out her cell phone and  
handed it to Joshua, then she walked towards the water until she was up to her hips. Her shorts clung to her.

"What are you doing?" Joshua asked.

"I'm going to see if I can find an entrance," She replied.

"Be careful," He warned.

Grinning, Charlotte dove underwater and went on her search.

* * *

"So, Barry, how did you find out about mermaids?" Elizabeth questioned, still sitting under the alcove with the net in place.

"Well, by accident really. I have Rikki Chadwick to thank for that," Barry replied, gesturing to the feisty blonde in the tank.

Rikki pounded on the glass in frustration and tried to use her heating powers to melt the glass. It only caused in scalding herself, so she stopped. Elizabeth cringed when she saw Rikki grimace in pain.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Well, I was in Queensland about a year ago illegally selling fish and she got tangled up in my business. She found out and tried to get back at me. When weird things started happening, I knew that she wasn't ordinary. After being arrested, I spent a  
lot of my free time researching," Barry explained.

"Prisons should get rid of computer time," Elizabeth scowled.

"Anyways, I found out about mermaids there. At first I thought that it was ridiculous, but after getting released, I went back. I found her and her friends, the followed them to Mako Island. That's how I found out. I thought it would be great to experient  
on them, find out how to make a profit. Then, I discovered more," Barry explained.

"There's something that doesn't make sense. You caught a mermaid here. Isabella Hartley. How on earth did you come across her?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, after my discovery, I did some traveling to find more. She was the first one we captured."

Elizabeth looked over to the dirty blonde mermaid, who in her tank, looked rather weak. Yeah, it was evident that she had been here the longest. Beginning to feel nauseous out of the water, Elizabeth willed her transformation back to human. It didn't  
strike the criminals as odd.

Elizabeth got to her feet while the barbed wire dug in to her skin. She gritted her teeth, then used the strength in her legs to kick them off and away from her. She was now freed.

"But see, there's something that doesn't add up still. You couldn't have gotten all of this with the pension you were all given after getting out of prison. You needed resources. You needed someone with government knowledge to help you out. See, I know  
that you're not the great mastermind behind all of this," Elizabeth explained.

A clapping sound echoed the cave walls and everyone's attention turned to two men who entered the cave.

"Joshua!" Elizabeth cried.

She saw that he was held at gun point as he entered the cave.

"Well done, Agent Striker. I wondered how long it would take someone of your caliber to figure it all out," Agent Gregory Watsford said as he entered. His gun was trained on Joshua.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"You fooled us pretty well. You knew all along that they were mermaids. But what I can't figure out is how you found out," Elizabeth said.

"My daughter, actually. I knew she was a mermaid. When I came to the Gold Coast for a visit, I kept hearing the word 'super mermaid' whenever I saw her. I saw her in that form when I followed her once. Bringing her here on assignment was a perfect plan;  
thanks to you. Once she gets here, we'll take care of her," Gregory explained.

"You're a sick man. How could you do this to your own daughter?" Joshua asked, as he was pushed towards Elizabeth.

"Money, boy! Money! Could you image what people would give to see real mermaids?" Gregory asked.

"It's always about money, isn't it?" Elizabeth asked, unimpressed.

"But Greg, I don't think we need your super mermaid daughter anymore. We got something better," Barry said.

"And what would that be?" Gregory asked.

He pointed at Elizabeth.

"Her! She's a mermaid as well, but she has a green tail."

Gregory laughed.

"Agent Striker? A mermaid? Please, that's preposterous!"

"I'll prove it!"

He grabbed a bucket of water and chucked the contents on to Elizabeth. She was drenched, but did not transform.

"Honestly...she is!"

"We saw it too!" The others claimed.

At this point, Elizabethhad finally figured out how to free the mermaids without harming them or anyone else. With a twist of her left hand, she worked the locks on the tanks. She was interrupted by movement in the moon pool. Charlotte surfaced  
and she looked around.

"Oh good! You found them all!" Charlotte said with glee.

"Charlotte, get out of there!" Joshua urged.

Before she could move, a net was thrown over Charlotte and she was dragged out of the water. She kicked with her legs to try and free herself.

"Hold up! She's not a mermaid!" The dark haired female cried.

"What?!" Gregory yelled.

"Dad? What's going on?" Charlotte asked, confused by hisoutburst.

"Charlotte, we're sorry. Your dad is behind all of this," Joshua spoke up.

Charlotte looked at her dad, a look of confusion on his face. She was released from the net and she twisted her hair to get rid of the excess water in it. The woman was kind enough to at least give Charlotte a warm blanket.

"Dad?" Charlotte looked at him, but there was no hint of remorse in his eyes. However, he was confused by her lack of tail.

"I don't understand. You're supposed to be a mermaid," he said.

She shook her head.

"An eclipse with a planetary alignment took my powers away for good. But...I don't understand..." Charlotte replied.

"He found out you were a mermaid a long time ago," Elizabeth replied, still using her left hand in subtle motions. Charlotte noticed it, but kept quiet.

She was filled in and Charlotte felt betrayal hit her once again in the heart. Her own father...was a criminal. He never even let on. But...was the bond between them real? Did he actually care about her?

"But...don't you care about me?" Charlotte asked.

Gregory laughed. Charlotte felt as if a steak knife was driven through her heart.

"No, not really? You were just an obsession. Watching you, seeing the kind of person you are, makes me shake my head. You're a disappointment," Gregory said.

He looked out towards the open area where the moon pool sat and the cave was exposed to the open ocean outside. The sky was dark and the full moon was rising.

Charlotte felt tears trickle down her face. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time...she truly thought that he had actually wanted to get to know her. It was all just a ploy and for what? To find out that she wasn't a mermaid? Oh, if  
she was right now, she would show him!

Elizabeth continued to carefully open the locks on the tanks. There were so many of them and it was a bit time consuming. Thankfully, Charlotte was distracting her dad unintentionally. She then saw the full moon rising and she groaned inwardly. Great,  
the mermaids were all goin to go crazy under the moons spell.

"Oh, in case you're worried, don't be. These ones aren't affected by it," Barry said, gesturing to Rita, Mimmi and Evie, once he saw Elizabeth's worried expression.

But Emma, Rikki and Cleo were. Elizabeth didn't know what the full moon would do to her this time, as last time it just led her to the Moon Pool in Sooke. And since Gregory didn't believe that she was a green tailed mermaid, she wanted to keep it that  
way.

"Well Charlotte, how about we just get you in to the moon pool then? You can have your powers back," Gregory tried to coax.

But if she did, Charlotte would get a net thrown over her again. She wouldn't do it. She suddenly didn't care that she wasn't a mermaid anymore. She would not risk becoming one just so that her dad could make a profit off of her.

"No! I don't care. Just let them go!" Charlotte pleaded.

"Oh don't go being stubborn on me!" Gregory exasperated.

"Dad...please don't. Please, you can still redeem yourself. I can give you a second chance," Charlotte begged.

Gregory seemed to think about it for a moment and he slowly approached Charlotte. She backed up to put distance between them.

"Why would you do that?" Greg asked.

"Because despite all this, you're my dad, and I love you."

Gregory looked up behind her, then back at his daughter.

"I do too."

He shoved her in to the moon pool and Charlotte went under. The full moon came shining on it and it glowedover the pool. It sparkled and bubbled, bringing the magic to life. Elizabeth and Joshua looked on with anticipation and worry. When all was  
still, Charlotte surfaced. She got out of the moon pool still in human form.

"Is she...?"

"Let's see..."

Barry threw a bucket of water on her. Charlotte was still human.

"But...I don't get it. I thought that..."

"The fifty year moon eclipse takes mermaid powers away forever. Another full moon after that cannot bring them back. Nice try," Charlotte remarked.

Well...she had accepted it. Another full moon did not bring back her mermaid powers. And it was a good thing this time.

"Now let them go!" Charlotte demanded.

With a sharp twist of both her hands, Elizabeth built up the water pressure in the tubes attached to the tanks and blew them right off with the locks. The glass shattered and the captive mermaids were now freed.

"Go! Get out of here!" Elizabeth ordered them.

"How did...?" Gregory cried out, witnessing what just happened.

"I told you boss, she's a mermaid!" Barry said, pointing at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's eyes flickered feline green and Gregory screamed. He had never seen that before and it freaked him right out. Elizabeth pulled out her gun and threw it to Joshua. He trained it on Gregory. Elizabeth out her hands up and had them on Barry and  
the other two.

Rikki dried off first and then proceeded to get the other mermaids their legs back. Quickly, they all ran out of the cave the way that the humans came. Charlotte stayed where she was as she witnessed the stand-off. Too bad that she didn't have her own  
gun.

"There's four of us and two of you. My disappointment can't even be in on this," Gregory commented.

"Look Gregory, we'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Put down the gun and walk away," Joshua offered.

Elizabeth felt naseous again and she teetered. Charlotte saw and was quick to rush over to Elizabeth, catching her just in time once her green tail appeared.

"Holy mother of...!"

"We tried to tell you!" Barry said.

Charlotte was pulled away from Elizabeth by Barry and he threw the net back over her.

"Well, we lost the others, but we can still make it off with her. Just shoot them both," The dark haired mansaid to Gregory.

Charlotte looked at her dad as the bottom of his barrel was back on Joshua. She felt the threat of Barry's gun on the back of her head.

* * *

 **It got really long, so I'm trying to cut it down a bit. Next chapter will be along shortly!**

 ****

 **Rate and review!**

 ****

 **I know... I'm a mean person when it comes to cliffhangers.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of H2O: Just Add Water or Mako Mermaids.**

 **Make sure to leave a review when you are done!**

 **Warning: Mild violence.**

* * *

The mermaids made their way to the beach and stood outside where the exposed wall to the moon pool was. They all looked on, wondering what was about to go down. Rikki turned to her friends.

"Did you guys see what I saw?" She asked.

Emma and Cleo nodded.

"Charlotte had come to rescue us," Cleo said.

"She didn't get her tail back," Emma pointed out.

"And she never would have," Rita spoke up, walking to the girls.

She gave them a weary smile.

"It's nice to finally talk to you three," Rita said.

"Likewise. Why wouldn't the moon pool give Charlotte her powers back?" Rikki asked.

Rita sighed.

"The magic of the moon is unexplainable. But I think it remembered her and who she used to be."

"Magic cannot fully be explained," Mimmi chimed in as she approached.

"But...what...what about that other...girl? The...the one with the green tail?" Isabella asked, fumbling over her words.

"Oh you poor darling, sit down. All of you, sit down with me," Rita said.

They gathered on the sand and Rikki created a fire to warm them all up.

"I don't know about her, Isabella. But I could sense great danger coming off of her," Rita said.

Rikki chortled.

"Believe me, we've witnessed her powers first hand. She was never normal to begin with."

It was a long story that baffled Rita and she sighed at the end of it.

"Like I said, the magic of the moon is unexplainable."

"What do we do now, Rita?" Evie asked.

The eldest shook her head and looked up towards the cave entrance to the moon pool.

"Pray that they make it out of there alive."

* * *

Charlotte tried to steady her breathing as she felt the barrel of the gun on the back of her head. This was not how she planned to die and it would not be today.

Though she had only been trained for a short period of time, she chanced it. Charlotte maneuvered quickly, grabbing Barrys' wrist that held the gun, used her momentum and his wrist and spun him around, the gun going flying and his wrist tucked in tightlybehind  
/his back. He cried in pain and she let go, making a grab for his gun and pointing it at him. Instantly, she took a shot. The bullet bit Barry in the leg. He went down.

The net was dropped and Elizabeth transformed, getting back on her feet.

"Nice move," she complimented Charlotte.

"Thanks," Charlotte replied, training the gun on the other two.

"Let Joshua go, or they're next," Charlotte threatened her father.

Joshua was released and he went over to the girls. His gun went on Gregory.

"Put the gun down," He ordered.

Gregory did so and kicked it over to Elizabeth like he was asked. Elizabeth picked up the gun and disarmed it, before melting it in her hands.

"Now, we're all going to walk out of here right now and wait for the police to arrive on to the beach. Let's get going," Elizabeth ordered.

Barrys colleagues helped him to his feet and Joshua escorted the three of them out of the cave. Charlotte and Elizabeth stayed behind with Gregory.

"Look, there's still a chance for you. Your daughter isn't a mermaid. You can forget about all of this and try to have a normal life. I can provide with you a fake identity and termination from the CIA. All you have to do is agree," Elizabeth offered.

Gregory looked at Charlotte and for a moment, Charlotte thought that he was seriously contemplating it. But then he snarled.

"Not a chance. Now that I know about mermaids, I will find a way to expose all of them and I won't rest until every single one is put in labs or exhibits. The world needs to know!" He shouted.

Charlottes heart plunged again. He did not want to take that second chance.

"And you...oh you would be my prized possession. I wouldn't put you in an exhibit, nor would I put you in a lab. You would be mine. You would be my trophy. Mark my words Agent Striker, when I get out of prison, you'll be first on my list," Gregory snarled.

A dark look clouded over Elizabeths' already dark eyes. Charlotte knew that look and it was about to get ugly in here. She wondered if she should leave.

"Charlotte, get out of here. Take the underwater entrance," Elizabeth ordered.

Charlotte nodded. She did _not_ wanttobe here when shit went down. She dove in to the moon pool and swam downward until she was out of harms way. She surfaced near the beach and pulled herself on to the sand. She heard footsteps  
approaching.

"Charlotte!" Cleo cried out.

"You're okay!" Emma chimed in.

"Here, let me dry you off," Rikki offered.

She used her heating powers carefully to dry Charlotte off from head to toe until the redhead was not shivering anymore.

"Thanks," Charlotte said, giving them a grateful smile.

The girls hugged her and Charlotte felt a bit put off, but then decided to welcome their embrace.

"Charlotte, you helped save us," Cleo mentioned.

"Oh, I didn't really do anything," Charlotte replied in a humble manner.

"No, Cleos right. Charlotte, you did help save us," Rikki said.

Charlotte gave them a warm smile.

"I'm just glad that you're all okay now."

"What about AgentStriker?" Emma asked.

Charlotte pointed towards the open cave then she gave the girls a look.

"She's about to open the gates of hell," Charlotte replied.

* * *

"I will _never_ be your prisoner. You will _never_ have me and I will _not_ be your weapon. I'm disappointed in you, Agent Watsford. You have destroyed your daughters confidence. She will never trust again. You have caused her to see  
/theworld a bit more darker now. You're a monster," Elizabeth snarled.

"Perhaps I am," He replied.

Gregory pulled out a secondary weapon, a knife, and he threw it at Elizabeth. Instantly, she melted it before it hit her.

"You don't get to walk away from this. You don't deserve prison. I think there's a reservation with your name on it down in hell," Elizabeth said.

With that, she raised both her hands and allowed the magic in her to burst. The cave shook and began to crumble. Rocks came falling down everywhere. Gregory shielded himself as he looked at Elizabeth with fear in his eyes.

"You'll die in here too!" He cried.

"That's a risk that I'm willing to take."

The rumbling grew louder and louder. Rocks plunged in to the water of the moon pool. A cave in began near the exposed wall that led to the outdoors.

* * *

"Look! The cave is crumbling!" Mimmi cried out.

The mermaids looked on to see the destruction of the Ireland Moon Pool. Isabella felt sorrow in her heart. Her beloved fortress was about to be no more.

"What on earth...?" Rita began.

"That's our green tailed mermaid," Charlotte commented, a little chuckle in her voice.

"But she's trapped!" Cleo cried.

Oh...yeah. That was not something to be happy about.

"What's going on?" A male voice chimed in.

"Joshua!" Charlotte ran over to him and gave him a quick hug before letting go.

"It's Elizabeth. She's destroying the cave. My dad...he wanted her to be his prize," Charlotte explained.

Joshua gave a low whistle.

"Yeah, she isn't very fond of people like him."

They watched as the cave finally came to be closed off and all went silent. Charlotte felt her heart break a bit. Agent Striker was probably dead now, along with her father. They hadn't known each other super well, but Charlotte looked upto the Agent  
as if she was an older sister.

"Well hello," Rikki spoke up, approaching Joshua with a little bit of a friendly smile on her face.

"Hi?"

"I'm Rikki Chadwick. You are...?"

"Agent Joshua Reynolds."

"Rikki...don't you think your timing is a bit inappropriate?" Cleo asked, dragging her blonde friend away from the handsome agent.

"What? He's hot!" Rikki whisper shouted.

"And he's engaged...or at least he was," Charlotte mentioned.

"Oh...to her? God...that sucks," Rikki frowned.

"Oh, I don't know about that," A new voice chimed in.

Everyone turned around and there stood Agent Striker! She was drenched, but she was alive. Charlotte ran over and beat Joshua to it by hugging her first.

"You're okay!"

"And so are you, it seems," Elizabeth commented with a chuckle.

The two broke the embrace and Elizabeth looked at the other women. She gave a proud smile.

"How is everyone doing?" She asked.

"For the most part, pretty okay. But this one needs a bit more medical attention," Rita said, holding Isabella close to her.

Elizabeth came walking over to assess the young dirty blonde. Putting her hands over top of Isabella, she sensed that it was more of a mental fatigue that the girl was suffering from.

"Easy fix."

Elizabeth manipulated the water in Isabellas' brainand put in a little extra, to give the girlsome hydration. She manipulated something that would give her a bit of nutrition and Isabella gavea gasp.

"Wh...where am I? Who are you?" Isabella asked, looking at Rita and Elizabeth.

She didn't notice the others who were standing behind her.

"What just happened?" Charlotte asked.

"Amnesia. Don't worry, she'll be fine. She just won't remember any of this," Elizabeth explained.

"Lucky girl," Evie commented.

"Joshua, why don't you take her home? Her parents will be happy to see her," Charlotte suggested.

"Good idea."

He took Isabella by the hand and guided her to his car. After settling her in, he drove her home.

"Well, it looks like she's in for a happy ending," Charlotte smiled.

"I'm glad," Elizabeth commented.

"So...how did you...?" Emma asked.

"Oh...I found another way out. I just had to move a few boulders out of the way," Elizabeth answered.

There were nods and a silence followed. Elizabeth looked at Charlotte with a proud smile on her face. She turned the tall redhead around to face the others.

"I want you all to take a look at this girl and remember something. She put herself out there to come help find you guys. She risked her life to get you all out of here. If it wasn't for Charlotte, none of you would be here," Elizabeth told the mermaids.

But Charlotte felt otherwise. All she did was distract her dad and shoot Barry. That still wasn't anything special compared to what the others could do.

"No...I'm nothing special," Charlotte replied, a pained look in her eyes.

Rikki, Emma and Cleo looked to each other and lowered their heads a bit in shame before putting their eyes on their old nemesis. Elizabeth was a bit stunned by Charlottes statement.

"No Charlotte, you really are something special. Despite not being a mermaid, you managed to do a lot just as yourself. You willingly joined the agency. You were willing to be taught. You shot Barry in the leg! You tried to give your dad a chance! Ittakes  
a strong person to be able to do those things, mermaid or not," Elizabeth pointed out.

"Really?" Charlotte asked, feeling hopeful.

"Really. And...you expressed regret to me about how you treated the girls. That takes strength as well."

But...it wasn't true strength until Charlotte did what she had to. She approached Cleo, Rikki and Emma and spoke only two words to them:

"I'm sorry."

She was embraced.

"Apology accepted, Charlotte. We're sorry too," Cleo said.

"Yeah. You did save our lives, that counts for something," Rikki commented.

The four laughed. As she looked on with pride, Elizabeth sunk to the sand and transformed back in to mermaid form. She got in to the water. Rita, Mimmi and Evie approached her.

"Are you okay?" Rita asked.

"I'm fine. It's just...I'm feeling sick again. I can't do this. My body is not meant to have opposing abilities. I wish that I could just make a choice on what to do. Veridia told me that I could never get my legs back permanently after giving me backmy  
tail," Elizabeth explained.

Evie could feel the green tailed mermaids pain. It was difficult having to choose between two worlds.

"What are you going to do?" Evie asked.

Elizabeth didn't know.

* * *

 **One chapter left! I repeat...we are one chapter away from finishing the story!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey readers! Hope you've enjoyed the fanfiction so far!**

 **Leave a review at the end when you're finished reading, as this is the last chapter. Give me your thoughts! Go in detail.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or Mako Mermaids.**

* * *

Agent Reynolds returned to the beach after reuniting Isabella Hartley with her family and he saw all the mermaids gathered with Elizabeth and Charlotte. Elizabeth was laying on the sand with her green tail...wait...what? He rubbed his eyes, unsure of what he was seeing. How...? How did she get her tail back? And why? Joshua bolted towards Elizabeth to see if she was okay, but he bumped in to Charlotte accidentally.

"Sorry Charlotte..." He apologized.

"It's fine. Are you okay?" Charlotte asked.

He muttered something unintelligible as he looked at his fiancée with worry. Charlotte caught on.

"She was telling us that The Queen of their pod gave her back her tail so that she could get to us in time," Charlotte explained.

"I feel like there's a 'but' to all of this," Joshua interjected.

Charlotte nodded, but she didn't say anything. She just gestured for him to follow her as they approached the agent lying on the sand. Elizabeth looked up at Joshua; a sad look in her chocolate brown eyes. Charlotte felt herself worry for her friend.

"Charlotte told me what happened, and I feel like there's more to it," Joshua said, kneeling down to Elizabeth.

She nodded, transformed back to her feet and dusted herself off before looking at him.

"I was told that there's no getting rid of it again. I'm stuck like this for good and...I'm already feeling ill again because of it," Elizabeth explained.

"What are you going to do about it?" Joshua asked, not liking the options that could be presented.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, looked at Charlotte, then at the other mermaids that they had rescued.

"You know Joshua, I realized something a while ago, back before any of this happened. With my job and personal life, I've realized that there's nothing harder than being caught between two worlds. Balancing my job and personal life, that was easy. But this...I knew the risks and I knew that eventually, one of them would have to win," Elizabeth told him.

Joshua took a sharp intake of breath. He knew where this was going. Elizabeth took his hands in to hers and she looked up at him with all the love in her eyes that she had ever given him. He rubbed his thumb against her engagement ring. A tear trickled down his face and he felt his heart drop. Elizabeth went to take off her ring, but Joshua stopped her.

"Don't you _ever_ take that off. You keep wearing it. Wherever you go, let it be a reminder that you're still connected to land...and to me," Joshua choked.

Watching from a distance, Charlotte couldn't help but tear up between the exchange happening between the two.

"I'll miss you," Elizabeth told Joshua.

"I'll miss you too."

The two shared an embrace and then they walked over to Charlotte and the other mermaids.

"Charlotte, I'm leaving him in your care. Do you think you can do that?" Elizabeth asked, jokingly.

Charlotte chuckled and looked at Joshua before nodding.

"Yeah. I'll keep him out of trouble for you," She grinned.

"I'm counting on it. Oh, and I'll be keeping my ears open for your name. You'll be a fantastic agent," Elizabeth commented.

Charlotte grinned. She reflected on what she had done and she found some pride in her achievements so far.

"I think I will be, with help of course. This doesn't mean that I will be replacing you though," Charlotte replied.

Elizabeth nodded and Charlotte pulled the woman in to a hug. A few tears trickled down her face again and gratitude swelled in her heart. It hadn't been very long ago that Charlotte had lost her tail, her pride, ego and Lewis. She thought that she had been lost for good, that she was unworthy of finding love again or would never learn what a true friendship really meant.

But her journey the past week, Charlotte had grown and learned quickly. She learned about love in many forms, from observing the love that Elizabeth and Joshua had for each other, to the love that Elizabeth had for her as a friend and mentor. And that's how Charlotte learned what a true friend was. A true friend was someone who saw the potential for greatness and guided their companion to become a better version of themselves. Charlotte had been able to forgive, be forgiven, and most of all, learned that she was worthy of greatness.

She and Elizabeth broke the hug, and Charlotte watched the agent join the mermaids as they all lined up at the shoreline. Elizabeth walked ahead of them, her feet in the water as she was ready to take the lead back to the Gold Coast.

"Wait...what do I tell General Leblanc?!" Joshua called out.

Elizabeth turned her head towards him and with a tear trickling down her cheek, gave him an answer.

"Tell him that I'm taking a year long vacation."

Joshua grinned. He never thought he would be able to get her to say those words. Nodding, he and Charlotte watched as Elizabeth dove underwater with the mermaids following after her. There were strong ripples created in the water as they sped off back towards home.

* * *

Charlotte and Joshua returned to Vancouver Headquarters the following evening, with General Leblanc already informed of Agent Strikers departure. When he had heard the news, he had finally let go of all of the stress that flooded his mind when it came to her.

At the moment, Joshua and Charlotte were in his office, writing up the report on the case and the involvement that Agent Watsford held in it. It was a shot in the heart every time Charlotte typed up the words for Joshua as he dictated the report. She wiped away tears a few times with the back of her hand as she thought about her fathers betrayal and her heart ached. The report was finished and she sent it off.

"Hey, are you okay?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just...I never knew my father, but I always pictured him as a hero in my eyes and that he was a good man," Charlotte replied.

Joshua walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a look of comfort.

"He _was_ a great man. Before he even discovered mermaids, your father was one of the best damn agents in the CIA. His greed consumed him though and that brought about his demise. When you two bonded, that was all real. I could tell. Charlotte?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to know the real man that your father was?" Joshua asked.

Charlotte gave a weak smile. She could see that Joshua cared for her; even though it was more of a brotherly feeling. She didn't have that ridiculous crush on him anymore. She gave a nod.

"I would really like that," She replied.

Sitting down in his chair, Joshua gestured for Charlotte to join him. She wheeled over to his side of the desk and together, they got in to the CIA database using Joshua's ID badge number. He brought up her fathers file on his entire life. He showed her the missions that he was successful in, what he did in his spare time, the charities that he got involved in, and so much more.

As Charlotte read about her fathers life, she began to let go of the betrayal that she felt in her heart. She let go of the pain that he caused her back in that cave. And crazily enough; Charlotte forgave him. Maybe not for his actions on the mermaids, but for the hurt that he caused her. A sudden realization dawned on Charlotte. She no longer needed to hold on to any anger that was in her heart. She was completely rid of it now.

As she continued on, Charlotte hardly realized that Joshua had left his spot and had gotten up, walking towards his office door. Before he left, Joshua looked over at the redhead, who was so deep in to reading everything that there was on Gregory Watsford. As he looked at her, Joshua saw the future that Charlotte held.

She would be doing great things in the year to come.

* * *

 **THE END!**

 **Thank-you to all those who have read this fanfiction!  
It's been fun writing this and if you haven't already figured it out, there will be a third installment in the near future.  
Stay tuned for that.**

 **Some things to think about for a review:  
**

 **What did you like?  
What did you not like?  
What was your favorite scene?  
What scene did you not like?  
What are your hopes for the third installment?**

 **Till next time!**


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